Pakistan Strikes Afghan Border Provinces, Claims 29 Militants Killed

Two days after the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar attack on the Karachi Rangers camp, Pakistan carried out a ground operation and strikes against three targets in Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation killed 29 militants. The Afghan Taliban government disputed the account, with deputy defense ministry spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat saying the strikes killed at least 36 civilians and wounded 163 others. The strikes marked a sharp escalation in the monthslong Pakistan-Afghanistan border war that has killed hundreds since February 2026, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban administration of harboring TTP and allied militant groups.