KABUL, September 25 — The Taliban administration in Afghanistan said on Wednesday that Pakistani military strikes inside Afghan territory killed four civilians, according to the Associated Press. Pakistan has not confirmed the reported strikes or the casualty figure, and the Taliban’s account could not be independently verified by the AP at the time of reporting. The reported strikes mark another flashpoint in a relationship that has rarely been stable.
The two neighbors share a border running roughly 2,600 kilometers (about 1,600 miles) along the Durand Line, drawn in 1893 by the British colonial official Mortimer Durand. No Afghan government has formally recognized that line.
A Familiar Pattern of Cross-Border Violence
Cross-border violence has repeatedly strained ties since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces that same month. The pattern is not new. In 2022, Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Kunar provinces killed dozens of people, according to Afghan officials, prompting sharp condemnation from Kabul.
Pakistan has for years accused the Taliban government of harboring militants from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out attacks inside Pakistan. The TTP, founded in 2007, is a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban but shares ideological ties.
It has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. Afghanistan has denied allowing its territory to be used against Pakistan.
Limited Tools, Limited Confirmation
The Taliban government, which remains unrecognized by the United Nations and most countries, has limited diplomatic tools to respond to cross-border strikes. The United States, which has no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan since 2021, has said it engages with the Taliban through intermediaries on issues including counterterrorism. The reported strikes come amid heightened regional tensions and continued international concern about militant activity in Afghanistan.
The AP reported the Taliban’s statement on Wednesday; no independent confirmation of the strikes or casualties was immediately available. What to watch next is whether Pakistan acknowledges or denies the operation, and whether Kabul’s account draws any independent corroboration.
Until then, the casualty figure rests on a single, unverified claim.
