Afghan Taliban claims air strikes on ‘ISIS hideouts’ in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Islamabad calls claim ‘baseless’
Afghan Taliban air strikes in Pakistan have sparked fresh tensions as Islamabad rejects Kabul’s claim of targeting militant hideouts across the border.
Taliban fighters look up while manning an armed pickup truck at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province. (AP file)
The Afghan Taliban government on Friday claimed on X that its forces carried out air strikes on militant hideouts in two Pakistani provinces, marking the latest escalation in already strained relations between the neighbouring countries, news agency Reuters reported. Afghan authorities said the operation targeted bases of Islamist militants across the border and described it as a military action against threats originating from Pakistani territory.
The Afghan Defence Ministry said its forces launched what it described as “air strikes” on militant positions inside Pakistan.
Last night, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Defense Ministry’s Air Force, by the grace of Almighty Allah, conducted a series of airstrikes against ISIS hideouts in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. These locations had reportedly been used, with the… pic.twitter.com/pL0SP0MV1t
— دفاع وزارت – وزارت دفاع (@MoDAfghanistan2) June 19, 2026
Pakistan rejects the claim
Pakistan swiftly rejected the Taliban government’s assertion. According to Pakistan’s Information Ministry, the Afghan Taliban’s claims that Afghan forces struck militant hideouts in two Pakistani provinces are “baseless” and do not reflect the situation on the ground. The ministry dismissed the reports and denied that any such strikes had taken place inside Pakistan.
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Escalating border conflict
The latest claims come days after Pakistan acknowledged carrying out cross-border strikes against militant targets along the Afghan frontier. Pakistan said those operations killed 26 militants, while the Taliban administration alleged that at least 13 people, including 11 children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory.
Relations between the neighbouring countries have deteriorated sharply this year, with repeated exchanges of fire and airstrikes leading to hundreds of casualties. Earlier confrontations in February and subsequent military actions in March and April underscored the increasingly volatile security situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Taliban fighters look up while manning an armed pickup truck at the Afghan side of the Ghulam Khan crossing with Pakistan in Khost province. (AP file) 
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