ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says it has launched strikes on armed groups in Afghanistan after blaming recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it says are operating from its neighbour’s territory. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said on February 22, 2026, that strikes hit a school and homes in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika, causing civilian casualties.
The competing accounts immediately escalated tensions between the neighbours, with Kabul denying it allows armed groups to stage attacks in Pakistan and vowing a response. The incident adds strain to a relationship that has been increasingly bitter since Taliban authorities retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, and raises questions about how both states are applying long‑standing obligations under the United Nations Charter and cross‑border counterterrorism norms.
Civilian casualties and official responses
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said “dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were martyred and wounded” when the strikes hit civilian locations in Nangarhar and Paktika on February 22, 2026.
Nangarhar police told the AFP news agency the bombardment started about midnight (19:30 GMT on February 21) and hit three districts.
“Civilians were killed. In one house, there were 23 family members. Five wounded people were taken out,” police spokesperson Sayed Tayeeb Hammad said.
Kabul said it will “deliver an appropriate and calculated response” to the Pakistani strikes, framing the attack as a violation of Afghan sovereignty and of the principle, set out in the United Nations Charter, that states must refrain from the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.
Pakistan has not publicly detailed the method or exact targets of the strikes but has stressed that what it calls “anti‑terror operations” are aimed at armed groups it accuses of planning and directing attacks inside Pakistan.
Competing accounts of cross‑border militant presence
Islamabad attributes recent suicide bombings, including during Ramadan, to fighters it says are operating from Afghan territory and alleges Kabul has not done enough to rein them in. Pakistani officials argue that under international counterterrorism resolutions and bilateral understandings, Afghanistan has a responsibility to prevent its soil from being used to threaten neighbouring states.
Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing armed groups to use its soil to attack Pakistan and counters that Islamabad is using the pretext of security to justify strikes that have killed civilians and undermined ongoing talks. These are statements by the respective authorities and have not been independently reconciled. Independent verification on the ground remains limited, and neither side has released evidence that would fully substantiate its account.
Talks, mediators and a closed border
According to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians in earlier rounds of cross‑border operations, a figure Pakistan has not confirmed. Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye, but they have not produced a lasting agreement on security cooperation or rules of engagement along the frontier.
Saudi Arabia intervened in February 2026, mediating the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghan authorities. Diplomats familiar with the talks say Riyadh’s involvement reflects concern among regional powers that further escalation could disrupt trade routes, refugee management and counterterrorism arrangements painstakingly built up over recent years.
The deteriorating relationship has affected people and commerce on both sides, with the land border largely closed for months. Traders, daily wage earners and patients seeking medical care across the frontier have borne the brunt of the shutdown, as ad hoc exemptions and local understandings have struggled to keep up with formal restrictions imposed by both capitals.
A frontier with long‑running disputes
Relations have been fraught since Taliban authorities took power in 2021. The boundary between the two countries—commonly referred to as the Durand Line—has been a persistent source of contention and periodic closures, complicating security coordination and civilian movement along the mountainous frontier.
Successive Afghan governments have refused to formally recognise the Durand Line as an international border, while Pakistan treats it as such and has in recent years expanded fencing, checkpoints and visa controls. That unresolved dispute has repeatedly spilled over into clashes between border forces, competing narratives over who controls specific crossings and disagreements over how to handle refugees and cross‑border communities.
For policymakers in Islamabad and Kabul, the latest strikes risk hardening positions on both the security agenda and practical issues such as transit trade, customs revenue and documentation for cross‑border travel. Regional diplomats warn that, without a credible mechanism to manage incidents and investigate allegations, each flare‑up risks setting back broader efforts to stabilise Afghanistan and integrate it into regional economic plans.
Key facts as of February 22, 2026
– Location: Strikes reported in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, including what Afghan officials describe as a school and residential homes.
– Timing: Bombardment began around 12:00 a.m. local time on February 22 (19:30 GMT on February 21), according to Nangarhar police via AFP.
– Pakistan’s position: Says it launched strikes on armed groups based in Afghanistan after blaming recent suicide bombings, including during Ramadan, on fighters using Afghan territory, and frames the action as defensive counterterrorism.
– Afghanistan’s position: Denies harboring such groups; reports civilian deaths and injuries, calls the strikes a breach of sovereignty and international law, and says it will respond.
– Diplomatic track: Multiple negotiation rounds after an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye; Saudi Arabia facilitated the release of three Pakistani soldiers in February 2026, amid wider regional efforts to keep channels between Islamabad and Kabul open.
– Human impact: UN mission in Afghanistan cites 70 Afghan civilian deaths from earlier Pakistani military action; land border largely closed for months, disrupting trade, health referrals and family visits on both sides.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday said “dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were martyred and wounded” when strikes hit a school and homes in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said it will “deliver an appropriate and calculated response” to the Pakistani strikes, while regional and international actors weigh whether the incident will push both governments back toward negotiations or deeper into confrontation.
