Pakistan conducts airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan in retaliation for terrorist attacks

On September 20, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, reportedly targeting militants suspected of involvement in recent terrorist attacks in western Pakistan. Pakistan claimed that the strikes killed 28 fighters, while the Taliban said that only three civilians had been killed. The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to militant groups that attack the Pakistani state. The dispute contributed to a series of cross-border strikes throughout 2025 and 2026. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes on X and promised an “appropriate retaliation.” Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement on X that the strikes were “calibrated” and conducted in response to terrorist activity in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ministry claimed that the operations targeted a suicide bombing center and a weapons and ammunition depot. The air strikes were retaliation for a complex attack claimed by Ittehad ul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) against a mosque inside a police compound in northwestern Pakistan. The assault began with a suicide car bombing on September 18 and continued into September 19, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 100 others. The attack occurred in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province. The province borders Afghanistan and hosts numerous militant groups, including the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. After the suicide car bomb detonated during Friday prayers, at least seven gunmen attempted to storm the police compound, resulting in a 20-hour standoff. The complex is home to Pakistan’s Special Branch intelligence agency, the Counter Terrorism Department, and other units responsible for combating militants in the restive border region. The complex attack occurred one day after an improvised explosive device detonated near a Pakistani security convoy in Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing six soldiers. The soldiers had been conducting operations against the TTP. IMP, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, is a militant alliance formed in 2025 by factions that broke away from the TTP. The United Nations recently reported that Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) “formed the backbone” of IMP. In response to the attack, AQIS did not condemn IMP or its assault on the police compound. Instead, it criticized the decision to target the mosque, stating that places of worship should not be attacked. Before this weekend’s assault, IMP’s last major publicly reported attack was an early May car bombing against a police post in Bannu District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for which the group claimed responsibility. Bahadur has longstanding ties to the Afghan Taliban and previously conducted and facilitated cross-border attacks against US and coalition forces in Afghanistan. He has survived American drone strikes against his network, Pakistani military operations, and rivalries with other militant factions. The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, describing assaults against mosques and other places of worship as “unjustifiable and condemnable.” Mujahid also warned Pakistan against conducting military operations inside Afghanistan, stating that “Pakistan should not attribute its internal situation to Afghanistan.” Both Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban face mounting security threats within their respective borders. Pakistan confronts attacks from the TTP and IMP, as well as an increasingly capable Baloch insurgency along its border with Iran. The Taliban, meanwhile, faces continued attacks from the Islamic State and a growing tempo of operations by anti-Taliban resistance groups. Although neither side benefits from further escalation, the Taliban will likely retaliate unless China or other regional intermediaries can reduce the immediate tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Even if they succeed, mediation will not resolve the underlying dispute over militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan, making further cross-border violence increasingly likely. Will Selber is a retired US CENTCOM foreign area officer with over 4 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the owner of Grumpy Combat Veteran on Substack.