![A man retrieves belongings from the debris of a house that was damaged in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani airstrike in Kunar province, Afghanistan, September 21, 2026 [Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-09-21T090533Z_2047631754_RC2LNNARHSFO_RTRMADP_3_AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-1790220397.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Pakistan says it has carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan used to store and launch drones, some of which were used in cross-border attacks.
The air strikes on Thursday were carried out as tensions grow between the former allies over attacks by armed groups in Pakistan, which triggered their worst fighting in years in February.
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Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters who stage cross-border attacks, but AfghanistanâÂÂs Taliban government denies harbouring anti-Pakistani armed groups and says the attacks are PakistanâÂÂs internal problem.
The air strikes were âÂÂdeliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against PakistanâÂÂ, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X.
He condemned a âÂÂdeliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by dronesâ on Wednesday.
âÂÂThis constitutes a blatant violation of PakistanâÂÂs sovereignty and territorial integrity and is a grave and unacceptable act of aggression,â he said.
The Pakistani air strikes were conducted in several areas of Khost province in southeastern Afghanistan, Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Khost governor, said.
There were no casualties, â he said.
An attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week that killed at least 21 people has reignited â fighting between the countries after nearly three months of â relative calm. A Pakistan Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the blast and subsequent gun battle.
On Monday, air strikes targeting three locations in northeastern Afghanistan killed three civilians in the Nurgal district of Kunar province, Afghan officials said. Islamabad said it killed 28 âÂÂterroristsâÂÂ.
The escalation threatens mediation efforts by China, Turkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to broker a lasting peace between the two neighbours.
Relations between the former allies have been strained since the fighting in February, the worst for years.