Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia Provinces

Pakistani military forces carried out airstrikes late Thursday night targeting areas in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, according to a Taliban spokesperson who confirmed the attacks but stated no one was harmed.

Residents in Kabul reported hearing explosions in various parts of the city, including Makrooryan in the center, Qasaba in the northeast and Darulaman in the west, which caused fear among locals.

The strikes followed a Taliban operation against Pakistani military positions near Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. The Taliban Ministry of Defense claimed that in a retaliatory nighttime operation starting around 8 p.m. Thursday, its forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, with 23 bodies in their possession and others captured. They also said they captured one military camp and 19 border posts, completely destroying four others. Amu TV noted these claims could not be independently verified, and Pakistan's army has not commented on reported losses or facilities.

Khaama Press reported Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming 40 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several posts captured in the clashes along the Durand Line, describing it as a defensive response.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated on X that Pakistani aircraft bombed Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, urging Pakistan to halt the bombings and adopt a policy of neighborliness and mutual respect. He said Afghans would defend their country unitedly.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on X that Islamabad's patience with the Taliban has ended and armed forces will respond decisively to hostile actions from Afghan territory, accusing it of harboring militants responsible for cross-border terrorism.

The incidents occur amid escalating tensions after Pakistani airstrikes a week earlier on Nangarhar and Paktika, which the Taliban said killed civilians including at a school in Paktika, while Pakistan claimed they targeted Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and ISIS-Khorasan hideouts. UNAMA reported at least 13 civilians killed in those Nangarhar strikes. Taliban officials said Pakistan also targeted the Umari camp at Torkham border crossing, with local reports of injuries and evacuation underway.