Afghanistan says Pakistani airstrikes kill 36 civilians, wound over 160

At least 36 civilians were killed and more than 160 others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes, Afghan officials said on Monday, as the strikes triggered a fresh escalation in cross-border tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

According to Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the strikes targeted the provinces of Paktika, Paktia and Kunar. In a post on X, Mujahid condemned the military action, describing it as a "cowardly act of aggression".

Pakistan carried out ground operation

Pakistan's security forces launched a ground offensive along the Afghanistan border on Sunday before carrying out what officials described as "calibrated strikes" on militant hideouts and safe havens, an operation that authorities said killed 29 fighters.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X that the operation was launched in response to a series of militant attacks across Pakistan.

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Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in attacks targeting police and security personnel in recent years, with Islamabad blaming the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied militant groups for much of the violence.

The operation came a day after heavily armed militants stormed the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in the southern port city of Karachi, killing three soldiers. Security forces later killed three attackers and captured another wounded assailant, whom the military identified as an Afghan national.

A breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack in a statement Saturday night.

Cross-border tensions continue to escalate

The operation comes less than three weeks after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as militant positions inside Afghanistan, ending nearly a month of relative calm after Islamabad had characterised the confrontation between the two neighbours as an "open war", despite international efforts to broker peace.

The renewed escalation follows months of reciprocal military action across the border. Since February, hundreds of people have been killed after Afghanistan launched retaliatory strikes in response to Pakistani airstrikes conducted inside Afghan territory.