Afghanistan's ruling Taliban say Pakistan strikes kill, injure dozens

Pakistan said it launched strikes on militant targets in Afghanistan after blaming recent suicide ​bombings, including assaults during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on fighters ‌it said were operating from its neighbour's territory.

Women and children ​were among the dozens killed and injured in Saturday's ⁠attacks, the South Asian nation's ruling Taliban said, in remarks Reuters could not verify, while its defence ministry vowed an appropriate response at a suitable ‌time.

The strikes bring a sharp escalation in tension just days after Kabul released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi-mediated move ‌to ratchet down worries following months of clashes along the ‌rugged ⁠frontier.

The attacks featured "intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and ⁠hideouts" belonging to the Pakistani Taliban as well as Islamic State Khorasan Province along the Afghan border, Pakistan's information ministry said.

In a statement, it added that it ​had "conclusive evidence" the attacks were carried ‌out by Khwarij, employing a term by which it refers to the Pakistani Taliban.

They were acting on instructions from "their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers," the ministry said in Saturday's statement.

Kabul has repeatedly denied ‌allowing militants to use Afghan territory to stage attacks in ​Pakistan.

A Taliban spokesperson said the attacks had killed and injured dozens of people, including women and children, but Reuters ⁠was unable to independently verify the remarks.

Afghanistan's defence ministry condemned what it called the blatant violation of national sovereignty as a "breach of international law, ‌the principles of good neighbourliness and Islamic values."

It added in its statement, "An appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time."

Among the incidents of strike Pakistan listed were a mosque bombing in Islamabad and violence in the northwestern border districts of Bajaur and Bannu.

On Saturday, the military said a suicide bomber in these districts ‌targeted a convoy of security forces, killing five militants in a gun battle ​and two soldiers when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a military vehicle.

Tension has forced repeated closures of key ⁠border crossings, disrupting trade and activity along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) frontier.

Clashes in October ⁠killed dozens before a fragile ceasefire was agreed, but Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan's Taliban rulers of harbouring militants who stage ‌attacks inside its territory - a claim Kabul denies.

Published on February 22, 2026