Pakistan Launches Airstrikes in Afghanistan After Karachi Terror Attack

The Government of Pakistan launched a series of precision airstrikes and ground operations in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces on June 28 and 29, 2026. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated the operations, part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeted hideouts of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, killing 29 militants. The strikes were retaliation for a June 27 assault on the Sindh Rangers headquarters in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, where three paramilitary personnel were killed.

The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan condemned the strikes as a cowardly act of aggression, reporting that the attacks hit residential areas. Deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated that 36 civilians were killed and 163 injured, including a double-tap attack in Paktia's Samkani District that targeted rescuers. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan provided preliminary figures of at least 28 civilian deaths.

Diplomatic tensions escalated as both nations exchanged formal demarches and summoned each other's diplomats. India's Ministry of External Affairs also condemned the strikes as a threat to regional stability. This military escalation violates previous bilateral understandings reached during China-hosted diplomatic talks in April and follows a broader pattern of hostility that began in February 2026. Simultaneously, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior ordered a nationwide crackdown on illegal Afghan residents, setting an arrest deadline for July 10.