Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province and eastern Kunar province killed at least four people and injured six others in initial reports, with most of the victims being women and children, according to Afghan officials. The strikes occurred as tensions between the two neighboring countries continue to escalate sharply.
The casualty figures remained preliminary and conflicting. The Associated Press, citing Afghan authorities, later reported that Pakistani airstrikes in Helmand and Kunar provinces killed nine women and children and injured another 11 people. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also stated that nine people were killed and 11 injured in the strikes. The conflicting figures could not immediately be independently reconciled.
Details of the Strikes
The strikes hit two residential houses in Garmsir district early Thursday, according to Mawlawi Sher Mohammad Wahdat, head of Helmand’s Information and Culture Department, who spoke to Reuters. Taliban officials also said other areas were targeted during the overnight operation.
Hafiz Abdul Bari Rashid Helmandi, head of the Taliban’s Information and Culture Department in Helmand, said the attacks took place at about 3:30 a.m. local time in three locations in the Safar area of Garmsir. He said two houses and an Eid prayer site were targeted.
Mujahid said the strikes also hit residential areas in the Shaltan and Chawgam districts of Kunar and the Garmser district of Helmand. He said women and children were among those killed and condemned the attacks as an act of aggression and a violation of international norms.
Conflicting Accounts
Pakistan, however, said the strikes targeted militant hideouts rather than civilian areas. Its Information Ministry said the operation was based on what it described as “credible intelligence” and that 22 alleged militants were killed and weapons caches destroyed. Pakistan said there were no civilian casualties.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry stated that the military targeted militant hideouts at two locations based on “credible intelligence” and that initial reports indicated 22 militants had been killed. It also said weapons and ammunition stored at the sites were destroyed.
The competing casualty claims have not been independently verified. With no independently verified account of the latest strikes available, the full human and material toll remains unclear.
Background and Context
The latest strikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad and repeated cross-border clashes. Pakistan has carried out several rounds of airstrikes inside Afghanistan this year, while Afghan authorities have accused Islamabad of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty and putting civilians at risk.
The strikes mark a renewed escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan following about three months of relative calm. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban authorities of allowing militants, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul denies the allegations and says militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.
Pakistan has conducted several airstrikes inside Afghanistan in recent weeks, saying it was targeting militant infrastructure. Afghan authorities have repeatedly said civilians were killed in some of those attacks.
The latest exchange of accusations comes after an attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last month that killed 24 people, according to Reuters. The incident contributed to renewed tensions between the two neighboring countries, which experienced their most serious fighting in years earlier this year.
Humanitarian Impact
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported more than 1,100 civilian casualties from cross-border violence in Afghanistan so far this year, underscoring the growing humanitarian impact of the conflict.
Both sides continue to dispute responsibility for militant activity and civilian casualties. The international community has called for restraint and independent investigations into the incidents, though no such investigations have been announced.
International Reactions
As of the latest reports, international reactions to the strikes have been limited, with no immediate statements from major powers or international bodies beyond the UN’s ongoing documentation of civilian casualties. The lack of independent verification has left the international community unable to definitively assess the competing claims.
The situation remains fluid, with both Pakistan and Afghanistan maintaining their respective positions. Pakistan insists its operations target militants based on credible intelligence, while Afghan authorities accuse Islamabad of violating sovereignty and endangering civilians. The full human and material toll of the latest strikes remains unclear pending independent verification, and the cycle of cross-border violence shows no signs of abating.
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