Pakistan says killed 22 terrorists in airstrikes in Afghanistan
Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts, claiming to have killed 22 terrorists. The Taliban government disputed these claims, stating that nine Afghan civilians were killed in the operation.
Why it matters
The escalation highlights the volatile security situation at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the ongoing diplomatic friction between the two nations.
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".
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in