Recent Pakistani military airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province killed at least 46 people, mostly women and children, according to Afghan officials. Six others were injured in the attacks, which have heightened tensions between the two countries.
The strikes carried out on December 24, targeted alleged members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group operating from Afghan territory. Four locations have been hit including Paktika, near the border with Pakistan.
Afghan authorities stated that most of the victims were refugees from Pakistan’s Waziristan region. A source from Pakistan, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the airstrikes targeted a TTP camp, accusing the group of planning attacks on Pakistani soil.
The TTP, which seeks to impose Islamic law in Pakistan, has launched numerous attacks across the border, including an assault in South Waziristan that killed 16 Pakistani security personnel.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence called the strikes a “blatant violation” of international law and sovereignty. Kabul summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to formally protest and warned of consequences. Afghan officials pledged retaliation but did not specify how.
The incident follows similar Pakistani airstrikes in March 2024, which reportedly killed five women and children. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring TTP militants, while Afghan officials deny this and blame Pakistan for destabilizing the region through its past support of militant groups.
