The aftermath of Pakistan’s air strikes in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Attacks kill civilians, deepen border dispute and prompt threat of retaliation from Kabul.Residents of the Behsud district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, inspect the damage caused by a Pakistani strike on February 22, 2026. [Hedayat Shah/AP Photo]By News AgenciesPublished On 22 Feb 2026Pakistan 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.Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing armed groups to use Afghan territory to stage attacks in Pakistan.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.Nangarhar police told the AFP news agency the bombardment started about midnight (19:30 GMT on Saturday) 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.The Afghan Defence Ministry said it will “deliver an appropriate and calculated response” to the Pakistani strikes.The two countries have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban authorities retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians from October to December, according to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan.Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye, but they have failed to produce a lasting agreement.Saudi Arabia intervened this month, mediating the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghanistan in October.The deteriorating relationship has had repercussions for people in both countries with the land border largely closed for months.People search for victims after a Pakistani strike hit a residential area in Girdi Kas village of Behsud district, Nangarhar. [Aimal Zahir/AFP]Nangarhar police told the AFP news agency that the bombardment started about midnight (19:30 GMT on Saturday) and hit three districts. [Aimal Zahir/AFP]Islamabad says it targeted armed groups that have carried out attacks in Pakistan, but Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing armed groups to use Afghan territory to stage attacks in Pakistan. [Reuters]People surround the coffins of victims during a mass burial at Girdi Kas village in Behsud. [AFP]People dig a mass grave for the victims killed in Pakistani strikes in Girdi Kas village. [AFP]Taliban security officials and local residents inspect the scene of the air strikes near the Pakistan-Afghan border in Nangarhar. [Samiullah Popal/EPA]Afghanistan's Defence Ministry says it will "deliver an appropriate and calculated response" to the Pakistani strikes. [Reuters]