Pakistan Strikes Afghanistan After Kohat Attack: 28 Militants Reported Killed, Kabul Says 3 Civilians Died
By Margalla Tribune News Desk
ISLAMABAD, September 21, 2026 — Pakistan carried out airstrikes against suspected militant targets in Afghanistan on Monday, in a significant escalation of tensions between Islamabad and Kabul following a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials said the strikes targeted militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Paktika and claimed that 28 militants were killed. Afghan authorities, however, said the strikes killed at least three civilians and injured four others.
The conflicting casualty accounts could not immediately be independently verified.
According to Pakistani officials cited by international media, the strikes targeted suspected militant positions in eastern Afghanistan. The operation came after Pakistan warned that it could act against militant threats originating from Afghan territory following recent attacks on Pakistani security forces.
Afghan Taliban authorities condemned the strikes. Afghan officials said a house in Kunar’s Nurgal district was hit, killing three members of the same family and injuring four others. Afghan authorities also reported damage to buildings in Paktika.
Why Pakistan carried out the strikes
The strikes follow a sharp deterioration in Pakistan-Afghanistan security relations.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated militant networks of using Afghan territory to plan and facilitate attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has rejected accusations that it is deliberately allowing Afghan territory to be used against Pakistan.
The latest escalation follows deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On September 19, a major attack in Kohat targeted a police compound and mosque, killing more than 20 people and injuring more than 100, according to Pakistani authorities. A day later, six Pakistani security personnel, including two army officers, were killed in a clash with militants in Hangu, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan subsequently warned that it would take action against militant threats linked to Afghan territory.
What Kabul says
Afghan Taliban officials strongly condemned the Pakistani strikes.
Afghan officials said three members of one family were killed in Kunar and four others were wounded. Taliban authorities described the operation as an attack on Afghan territory and indicated that Kabul would respond.
The conflicting accounts underline the difficulty of independently verifying events in remote border areas.
A new escalation
The strikes represent another serious development in the already strained relationship between Islamabad and Kabul.
The two countries have faced repeated disputes over cross-border militancy, border security and the presence of the TTP in Afghanistan. Pakistan has demanded that Kabul take what Islamabad describes as credible and verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
Afghanistan has denied allowing its soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan.
The latest military action therefore raises questions about whether the two sides can prevent further escalation through diplomatic channels.
Regional countries, including China, have previously been involved in efforts to facilitate dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The latest escalation could complicate those diplomatic efforts.
What happens next?
The immediate concern is whether the latest strikes lead to further cross-border attacks.
For Pakistan, the central issue remains the threat posed by militant attacks originating from across the Afghan border. For Kabul, the strikes raise questions about sovereignty and civilian protection.
Any further military action could increase pressure on both governments to find a mechanism for managing the border dispute and preventing militant activity from triggering another cycle of retaliation.
For now, the two sides continue to present sharply different accounts of the casualties and circumstances surrounding the strikes.
Margalla Tribune will continue to update this story as verified information becomes available.
