Pakistan Claims 80 Militants Killed in Afghanistan Strikes, Kabul Reports Civilian Deaths

Pakistan says 80 militants were killed in cross-border airstrikes, while Afghan sources report civilian casualties and dispute Islamabad’s account.

Danyal Chaudhry, a Pakistani lawmaker and parliamentary secretary for information, said national security was “non-negotiable” following the overnight strikes in eastern Afghanistan.

According to Dawn, Pakistani officials claimed around 80 militants were killed in the operation, though no independent evidence has been released.

Chaudhry said the strikes followed a suicide bombing in Islamabad and the killing of 11 Pakistani soldiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 16, urging Taliban authorities to prevent TTP attacks from their soil.

Pakistan’s information ministry said seven sites were targeted in Paktika, Nangarhar and Khost provinces as part of what it described as a counterterrorism operation.

Afghan sources rejected the militant death toll, reporting that at least one civilian was killed and more than 23 people remain trapped under rubble in affected areas.

They also said 18 members of a single family, including women and children, were killed in one strike, while residents described heavy destruction and panic among civilians.

With sharply conflicting casualty figures and rising rhetoric, the cross-border strikes have intensified tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, raising concerns of further escalation.

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