Pakistan on Thursday (October 1, 2026) said it killed at least 22 terrorists in airstrikes in Afghanistan as part of a campaign to eliminate militants’ hideouts across the border.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government, meanwhile, said that Pakistani strikes killed nine Afghan civilians, including women and children, and injured 11 others.

This comes amid a sharp escalation in already strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the two sides trading allegations over militant sanctuaries, cross-border attacks, airstrikes and border incursions.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry, in a statement, said that the country’s security forces conducted “well-planned and calibrated aerial strikes” against the hideouts and safe havens of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), killing multiple terrorists.

It said that “selective targeting” of terrorist camps and hideouts at two locations in Afghanistan was carried out based on credible intelligence with “precision and accuracy”.

“Targets were destroyed with precision and initial reports suggest killing of twenty-two terrorists,” it said.

The statement added that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at these hideouts were also destroyed.

The Ministry said Pakistan has always strived for the maintenance of peace and stability in the region. However, “the safety and security of our citizens remains our foremost priority”.

It alleged that Afghanistan continues to remain a hub of terrorism and the threat to Pakistan emanates from there.

“In this context, our action precisely targeted the terrorist hubs. Maximum precautions were taken, and it was ensured that no collateral damage occurs,” it said.

The statement also said that Pakistan’s counter terrorism campaign, Ghazab lil Haq, will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country.

Meanwhile, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in a social media post on Thursday (October 1, 2026), said nine Afghan civilians, including women and children, were killed in the strikes, 11 others injured and three homes destroyed.

He said the strikes were conducted in Chugam, Shultan district of Kunar province, and Safar, Garmser district of Helmand province.

“We condemn this act as an aggression and crime in violation of all accepted principles,” he said.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration in Kabul of allowing the TTP and allied militant groups to use Afghan territory to plan and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban has rejected Pakistan’s allegations that it allows its territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries.

Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has killed nearly 500 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded over 1,000 others between October and the end of June, the United Nations said on Tuesday (July 28, 2026).

In a report on the human rights situation, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it had documented 499 civilians killed and 1,216 wounded by the fighting between the neighbours that has defied international peace efforts.

In one case, the report said, civilians trying to rescue others from the rubble of an airstrike were hit by a second one. The report also explores other human rights issues, including a deadly crackdown on protests in western Afghanistan over restrictions on women’s clothing, and decrees that essentially legalise child marriage.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fighting on and off for months. Tension escalated significantly in February, when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, and Islamabad declared it was in “open war.”

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants who carry out deadly attacks that have killed thousands over the years in Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the allegation.

In the deadliest attack of the fighting, a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment centre in the Afghan Capital, Kabul, in March, killing hundreds of civilians. Rights group Amnesty International said last week the bombing should be investigated as a possible war crime.

Pakistan has not given an overall figure for civilian casualties caused by the cross-border fighting in its territory. The U.N. mission, known by its acronym UNAMA, noted it is only mandated to monitor incidents in Afghanistan. In a written response to UNAMA’s report, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan’s Taliban government “continues to maintain a permissive environment for a range of [militant] organisations”.

The response did not mention Afghan civilian casualties but said Pakistan’s military strikes “were directed exclusively at identified terrorist hideouts, sanctuaries, and support infrastructure linked to groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.”

The hundreds of civilian casualties listed by UNAMA include 5 children who were killed in two successive airstrikes on a residential building in the eastern province of Paktia on June 28. At least 185 others were wounded. Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by the second strike, when locals were trying to rescue the victims of the first one.

“International humanitarian law provides special protections for medical personnel and humanitarian workers, including first responders. Attacks against them while performing their duties are strictly prohibited,” said Fiona Frazer, director of human rights at UNAMA.

UNAMA’s report also highlighted problems faced by women, who are subject to draconian restrictions by Afghanistan’s Taliban government. They include a ban on education beyond primary school, a strict dress code, bans on working in nearly all professions and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative when outside the home.

The report detailed a crackdown in the western city of Herat in June, where at least 30 women were arrested on allegations of dress code violations. At least one person was killed and several others were injured when authorities opened fire during a rare protest against the detentions.

Rules governing women’s clothing stipulate they can only go out in public when wearing full hijab — which includes a headscarf and robe covering the entire body — as well as a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. The regulations are policed by the feared Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. However, interpretations of the rules and what constitutes wearing the hijab correctly vary and can be arbitrarily enforced.

The UNAMA report said Vice and Virtue officials visited health clinics and shops in various parts of the country to advise them to refuse entry to women not accompanied by a male relative. The report also said new rules on separation in marriage “implicitly sanction child marriage” by allowing for marriage contracts to be arranged for minors.

President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday (March 14, 2026) the Afghan Taliban had “crossed a red line” by launching what the military called “rudimentary drones” against civilian targets in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s military said they were intercepted on Friday night and did not reach their targets, including their own headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

The Taliban authorities lack a fully functional air force but have used locally produced drones, targeting areas primarily in border regions of Pakistan, experts say.

Pakistan’s military said debris from the downed drones on Friday (March 13, 2026) injured two children in Quetta, in the southwest, and a civilian each in Kohat, south of Peshawar in the northwest, and Rawalpindi.

Security sources said airspace around the capital was temporarily closed as a precautionary measure when the drones were detected.

“Afghan Taliban launched few rudimentary drones to harass the brave people of Pakistan. The drones… did not reach their intended targets,” the military said.

The incident followed attacks by Pakistan overnight Thursday-Friday that killed four civilians in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and two reported deaths in border provinces.

The Taliban authorities then vowed to strike back, including on Islamabad.

In a post on X, Mr. Zardari’s office said he “strongly condemned the drone attacks on Pakistani civilian areas, saying the Afghan Taliban crossed a red line”.

“Pakistan will not tolerate its civilians being targeted. Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism against neighbours. Pakistan will defend its people,” he added.

Islamabad last month launched a military operation against Afghanistan, targeting what it said were Islamist extremists following attacks in Pakistan.

The Taliban government has denied any involvement or the use of Afghan territory for militancy while Pakistan insists it does not target civilians.

There have been repeated clashes at the border in recent weeks, hampering trade and forcing nearby residents to leave their homes.

The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Friday (March 13, 2026) that at least 75 civilians have been killed and 193 injured in Afghanistan as a result of the clashes since February 26.

Pakistan cancelled a potential military action against Afghanistan at Qatar’s request last month, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday (November 29, 2025).

Mr. Dar was addressing a press conference where he talked at length about Pakistan’s concerns and expectations from Kabul.

“The Qatari Foreign Ministry came to know that we were moving towards taking action (against Afghanistan). Then Qatar requested for a solution to the problem and mediation, after which the operation that was going to be carried out that night was stopped,” Mr. Dar said, referring to tensions with Kabul last month.

He said that nothing could come out of a mediation, and Qatar was not happy that its mediation effort remained fruitless. 

“It is not appropriate to talk about a friendly country, but they (Qatar) are now upset that they got mediation done and no result could be achieved,” Mr. Dar said.

He also urged the Afghan Taliban to reconsider their policy as they were now running the country.

“The Afghan Taliban will have to reconsider their policy since they are in power. We don’t want anything from them; we are ready to do anything, but since their government came to power, our 4,000 officers and soldiers have been killed, and over 20,000 injured. So how can I say that ‘let us close our eyes (towards Afghanistan)’?”

He also warned that Pakistan has the power and capability to fix the issues of militancy emanating from Afghanistan.

“Because these (violent incidents) are not decreasing, but are increasing. It is their delusion that we cannot solve it. Allah has given Pakistan the strength to act on it and make things right, but it is also not right that we go to our brother’s house and enter and kill him,” he said.

Mr. Dar also shared details of his visits to Russia, Bahrain and other countries and stressed that peace in Afghanistan is necessary for peace in the region. “We told Afghanistan not to allow terrorism from its soil, the European Union supported Pakistan’s position on Afghanistan,” he said.

He claimed that Pakistan was sending back Afghan refugees with dignity and wished for development for the people of Afghanistan.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.

The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said on Friday (November 28, 2025) that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.

Speaking about the conflict in Gaza, Dar said that Pakistan was ready to provide troops for Gaza, but it would not be part of efforts to disarm Hamas.

“We are not ready for that. This is not our job, but of the Palestinian law enforcement agencies. Our job is peacekeeping, not peace enforcement,” he said.

“We are definitely ready to contribute to the force — the Prime Minister has in principle already announced after consultation with the field marshal that we will contribute — but this decision cannot be taken until it is decided what its [International Stabilisation Force] mandate and TOR (terms of reference) will be.”

The establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) was part of the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, and the UN Security Council (UNSC) last week adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which also authorises the ISF for the Palestinian enclave.

Pakistan has indicated plans to become part of the ISF and a decision is likely in the coming weeks, but it has now clarified that being part of ISF does not mean becoming part of efforts to disarm Hamas.

Prices of fruits and vegetables have skyrocketed while prices of poultry witnessed a steep fall in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces following the suspension of trade with Afghanistan. The volatility in essential commodity prices is directly the result of demand and supply in the border region, said Abdul Basit, who heads the Poultry Wholesalers Association, on Sunday (November 23, 2025).

The daily trade with Afghanistan involved export and import of essential perishable items like chicken, fruits and vegetables, Mr. Basit said. “Poultry product prices are down as there is no export to Afghanistan now and there is surplus supply in the local market,” he added.

Live chicken is being sold at PKR 350-360 per kilogram compared to PKR 460-470 per kg in September. Similarly, boneless meat is being sold for PKR 700-800 per kg compared to PKR 1,000-1,000 in September.

Meanwhile, as the traders are unable to import vegetables and fruits from Afghanistan, the prices have gone up.

“Pakistan imports vegetables like tomatoes, onions and fruits and a lot of dry fruit from Afghanistan via road trade, but with borders closed, prices have gone up,” Muhammad Fahad Iqbal, Vice Chairman of the Fruits and Vegetables Association, said.

Potatoes of different varieties are being sold at PKR 200-300 per kg in the market, while onions are being sold between PKR 400 to 250 per kg. Similarly, garlic is being sold at PKR 600 per kg and ginger at PKR 800.

“Recent floods hit a lot of local crops in the country, and in many areas, vegetable and fruit crops were wasted, so we have been relying heavily on Afghan imports,” a vegetable wholesaler said. 

Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, claimed a few days back that after Afghanistan’s Taliban government told its traders to stop trade with Pakistan, that eventually, if there is no trade with Afghanistan it will benefit the Pakistani people.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday (October 20, 2025) said the ceasefire arrangement with Afghanistan hinges on Taliban’s commitment to rein in terrorists attacking his country from across the border.

His statement comes a day after both sides agreed on a ceasefire following talks in Doha, which were facilitated by Qatar and Turkiye.

“Anything coming from Afghanistan will be [a] violation of this agreement,” Asif was quoted as saying Dawn. “Everything hinges on this one clause.”

He said that in the agreement signed by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkiye and Qatar, “it was clearly spelled out that there would not be any incursions”.

“We have a ceasefire agreement as long as there is no violation of the agreement which is already in force,” he said.

Mr. Asif has said that the primary objective of the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic, the minister said that terrorism has been affecting border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan for years.

He said that both countries have reached the conclusion that immediate elimination of terrorism is essential and the two countries will make serious efforts to curb terrorism, otherwise, regional peace could face serious threats.

Mr. Asif said another meeting will be held next week in Istanbul to finalize the details of the agreement.

He said Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob acknowledged that terrorism is the main reason behind the tensions in our relations, which will now be addressed.

He hoped that peace will now return, and relations will normalize between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As a result, Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and transit will also resume, and Afghanistan will be able to use Pakistani ports.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since 2023, with Islamabad repeatedly raising concerns over the use of Afghan soil by militants carrying out cross-border attacks.

The situation further deteriorated following repeated terrorist attacks by TTP, including one in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district recently, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major.

Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Saturday (October 18, 2025) warned Afghanistan to choose between “peace and chaos” as it asked Kabul to take firm and immediate action against terrorists using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir’s statement came amidst Pakistan launching fresh air strikes targeting terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan late on Friday (October 17, 2025), hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended their two-day ceasefire that had temporarily halted hostilities between the two sides.

Choose between “peace and chaos”, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said, referring to Afghanistan while addressing a graduation ceremony of passing out army cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul at Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Taliban regime, he said, should act decisively against militants operating from its soil for terrorist activities in Pakistan.

All proxies using Afghan soil would be met with a response to “raise them to dust”, the COAS warned.

Friday’s (October 17, 2025) strikes by Pakistan followed a gun-and-bomb attack by terrorists at a military installation in North Waziristan, claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The fresh strikes came amid representatives from the two countries being expected to meet in Doha, where the Qatari government is set to make an effort for mediation.

Islamabad has consistently urged the Taliban government to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan territory for cross-border attacks. Kabul, however, denies these allegations, insisting that Afghan soil is not being used against any neighbouring country.

The situation deteriorated between the two neighbours following repeated terrorist attacks by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allegedly using the Afghan soil, including one in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district recently, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major.