Cross-Border Strikes Escalate
Taliban-Led Afghan Forces Strike Pakistan Militant Hideouts Amid Rising Border Tensions
Key Points
The Taliban defence ministry specified alleged ISIS-K targets by location in Pakistan: “the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah district and the Shakarab region of Chagai district” in Balochistan, and the “Qambar Khel area of Orakzai district” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In addition to claiming strikes hit “key” sites, the Taliban said the operation killed “key leaders” of ISIS-K, but it provided no evidence for the assertion.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said on X that “Afghanistan, henceforth, will not tolerate any threat against its security and stability,” adding it would “utiliz[e] all its capabilities and capacities” to “neutralize and eliminate any threat in its infancy.”
The diplomatic protest Kabul lodged against Pakistan after the June 9/10 strike was tied to detailed casualty claims attributed to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid: the strike allegedly killed “11 children, one woman and an elderly man,” and wounded “14 more women and children.”
Afghanistan's Taliban government claimed Thursday night that its air force struck ISIS-K militant hideouts inside Pakistan, targeting sites in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Pakistan's government fired back Friday morning, calling the claims "false propaganda" and saying its air defenses had shot down "one rudimentary drone," according to Reuters.
The exchange marks a dramatic new low in relations between the two neighbors. Both countries have now traded cross-border airstrikes within days of each other, and analysts describe the situation as an "open war" along the 1,600-mile Durand Line border.
Taliban Claims ISIS-K Leaders Killed in Pakistan Strike
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence said its forces hit targets in "the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah district and the Shakarab region of Chagai district" in Balochistan, and the "Qambar Khel area of Orakzai district" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ministry posted on X that these sites were used to "plan and coordinate attacks on Afghan territory." It claimed "key leaders" of ISIS-K were killed, but offered no evidence, photos, or casualty numbers.
Taliban deputy defense spokesman Sadiqullah Nasrat said Afghan forces struck "Islamic State centers in Pakistan from which attacks against Afghan territory were planned, with the help of some evil intelligence circles," according to Daily Maverick. The ministry warned that "Afghanistan, henceforth, will not tolerate any threat against its security and stability" and would use "all its capabilities" to "neutralize and eliminate any threat in its infancy."
Pakistan Rejects Claims, Points to Neutralized Drone
Pakistan's Ministry of Information dismissed the Taliban's announcement outright. In a formal fact-check statement, the ministry said: "One rudimentary drone... was immediately identified and neutralized by the alert Air Defense system of Pakistan Air Force," according to Daily Maverick. Islamabad did not comment on whether any ground sites were hit or damaged.
Pakistan's pushback reflects a key reality: the Taliban's air force is tiny. Analysts estimate Afghanistan has just nine airframes — mostly old helicopters — and has turned to fleets of commercially available drones modified to carry explosives, according to Forbes. Expert Pearl Pandya of ACLED notes these drone attacks have become "a key feature in the conflict" precisely because Kabul lacks traditional air power.
Days Earlier, Pakistan's Strikes Killed 11 Children in Afghanistan
The Taliban's move came just days after Pakistan conducted its own cross-border strikes on June 10, hitting Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces. The strikes killed 13 people, including 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man — figures verified by the UN's monitoring mission UNAMA, according to The Hindu. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the attacks "humanitarian crimes."
Kabul summoned Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires after the June 10 strikes to protest the alleged bombing of residential areas and the violation of Afghan airspace. That Pakistani operation was itself a response to a June 9 TTP raid on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara, which killed six officers and led to the abduction of eight more, according to Daily Maverick.
A Conflict That Has Been Building for Years
The two countries' relationship has collapsed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan initially backed the group, but TTP attacks inside Pakistan surged from 658 in 2022 to over 2,400 in 2025, according to Reuters. Islamabad blames Kabul for sheltering TTP fighters. Kabul denies it and points to ISIS-K as the real threat — one it says Pakistan is not doing enough to stop.
Pakistan sealed eight major border crossings in October 2025, costing its economy an estimated $850 million in lost trade by June 2026, according to Afghanistan International. February saw full-scale Pakistani airstrikes reach Kabul and Kandahar, prompting Pakistan to formally declare "open war." Ceasefire talks in April — including China-hosted "Urumqi Talks" — failed to produce any lasting agreement, according to Daily Maverick.
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