Pakistan Launches Deadly Air Strikes on Afghanistan, Killing at Least 26

Jun 10, 2026

Pakistan launches deadly air strikes in Afghanistan's Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, claiming to have killed 26 TTP militants in response to recent terror attacks. Afghanistan's Taliban government condemns the strikes as a "humanitarian crime," reporting at least 13 civilians killed, including 11 children. The attack shatters a fragile, China-mediated ceasefire and escalates tensions that have simmered since a major conflict in February.

Pakistani air strikes on Afghanistan

▪An attack in Khost's Spera district killed nine people and wounded 10 others, including children, according to a provincial official.
▪The strikes targeted militant "hideouts and safe havens," destroying four targets including a training center and an ammunition cache.
▪Pakistan launched air strikes in the Afghan provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika.
▪Pakistan's government stated its strikes killed 26 militants linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan

▪Pakistan stated the air strikes were a response to "recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan."
▪A recent attack on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara, Peshawar, killed six personnel and injured four.

Afghan Taliban denials

▪Afghanistan's Taliban government said the Pakistani strikes killed at least 13 people, including 11 children, one woman, and an elderly man.
▪The Taliban government denies harboring militants and states that militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem.

Pakistan-Afghanistan diplomatic tensions

▪The strikes follow a period of calm after a conflict erupted in late February and a fragile ceasefire deal reached in March collapsed.
▪A United Nations report stated that cross-border fighting killed at least 372 Afghan civilians and injured 397 in the first three months of 2026.
▪Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Chinese mediation efforts

▪China has been mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan, hosting a meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in April.
▪A fragile ceasefire was agreed to in March, with China attempting to mediate a settlement to the conflict.