Pakistan bombs Afghanistan, Taliban reports civilian deaths

Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Monday, September 21, 2026, claiming to have destroyed militant camps and killed 28 terrorists in retaliation for recent attacks. The Afghan Taliban condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty, denying they harbored militants and reporting three civilian deaths. The Pakistani Information Ministry stated the operation was an intelligence-driven response to a series of terrorist attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. The ministry said the strikes targeted three locations, including a suicide bomber training center, and destroyed weapons and ammunition. It described Afghanistan as a continuing hub of terrorism and stated the threat to Pakistan emanates from across the border. The strikes followed a militant assault on a police facility in Pakistan's Kohat district on Friday, September 18, which killed at least 23 people. A subsequent firefight with militants in the adjacent Hangu district on Sunday, September 20, resulted in the deaths of several Pakistani security personnel.