Why Pakistan launched airstrikes and ground troops into Afghanistan after Karachi attack

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 11:42 PM IST

Residents walk through the rubble after what Taliban officials said were Pakistani airstrikes a day earlier that killed civilians, including children, in the village of Mandokhail, Chamkani district, Paktia province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

The attacks launched by Pakistan killed at least 28 civilians in Afghanistan as Islamabad sent ground troops into Afghan provinces on Sunday along its border, the United Nations Afghan mission said.

The UN report added that at least 49 people were injured in Afghanistan after Pakistan launched airstrikes, and women and children were also among the victims.

Pakistan hit Afghanistan’s eastern border in strikes on Sunday night, which is the latest flare-up in a cross-border conflict between the two neighbours that has killed hundreds since February, the New York Times reported.

Residents walk through the rubble after what Taliban officials said were Pakistani airstrikes a day earlier that killed civilians, including children, in the village of Mandokhail, Chamkani district, Paktia province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo)

Taliban authorities report heavy border losses

According to Hamdullah Fitrat, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Pakistani strikes hit at least three border provinces: Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar Provinces.

He added that, as per the reports available, the death toll in the strikes has resulted in 36 civilian deaths while 163 others sustained injuries.

UNAMA has confirmed that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 injured in airstrikes carried out in Paktya, Paktika and Kunar provinces in #Afghanistan on the evening of Sunday 28 June.

Full statement [in English, Dari, Pashto]: https://t.co/m4NvYHTDK5 pic.twitter.com/D3UUWM0TLR

— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) June 29, 2026

The Taliban government described the Pakistani military attacks as a “cowardly act” and an “atrocity”. Talibani officials informed that casualties occurred in Mandokhail, a village in the Paktia province.

Islamabad confirms anti-militant operations

Meanwhile, Pakistan said it has targeted militant hideouts in the Afghanistan provinces and an Islamabad’s government official, Attaullah Tarar, said at least 32 militants were killed in airstrikes and a combined ground operation.

WATCH: This is the home of a local resident in Munawara District, Kunar Province, which was struck in an airstrike carried out by Pakistan’s military regime.

As a result of the attack, the house was completely destroyed, and around 30 head of livestock were also killed.… pic.twitter.com/kgwsko6w3r

— TOLOnews English (@TOLONewsEnglish) June 29, 2026

Root causes of the long-standing frontier conflict

Pakistan and Afghanistan’s armies have been involved in violent conflict since several months along their 2,500 km border, where Islamabad has accused the Kabul-based Taliban government of sponsoring and hosting militant groups that have allegedly been involved in killing of thousands of Pakistani security personnel.

Casualty Figures Reported Thus Far from Last Night’s Bombings by the Pakistani Military Regime in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar Provinces

29 June 2026

In Mandokhail Village, within Chamkani District of Paktia Province, Pakistani fighter jets bombed a civilian residence. As a… pic.twitter.com/QJHZqwMRwn

— Hamdullah Fitratحمدالله فطرت (@FitratHamd) June 29, 2026

However, Afghanistan has denied the allegations. The fresh round of violence comes after three members of Pakistani paramilitary force, Sindh Rangers, were killed at their Karachi headquarters on Saturday, the Pakistani military had said.

Details of the Karachi suicide bombing

At least three militants also died in the suicide attack, while the fourth militant was arrested, who was an Afghan, Pakistani officials said, BBC reported.

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Militant group claims responsibility for security force attack

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed the responsibility for the attack in Pakistan on Saturday. Both the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and TTP are banned in Pakistan and by the United Nations.

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