ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strongly rejected Afghan Taliban claims that its forces carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan, insisting that no such operation was conducted and accusing Kabul of fabricating a narrative to cover growing internal instability and infighting.
Security officials in Islamabad said the allegation was “baseless propaganda,” stressing that Pakistan has not carried out any air operation inside Afghan territory.
“Once Pakistan strikes, we acknowledge it publicly. Any explosions in the stated Afghan areas are most likely internal feuds or infighting — now common across Afghanistan — or, God forbid, a staged drama by Indian-backed infiltrators among the Khawarij,” a senior security official told WE News.
Officials dismissed images circulating online as “old, doctored, and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
They said Kabul was “attempting to shift blame onto Pakistan to distract from its failure to control cross-border militancy,” adding that India had quickly amplified the Afghan narrative on social media.
Pakistan’s security officials believe the Taliban administration is attempting to deflect pressure as Islamabad weighs its response to recent attacks in Islamabad, Wana College, and Peshawar.
“When we respond, the world will know — just remember when Kabul lit up in October,” the official said, referencing previous publicly acknowledged strikes.
Islamabad Points to TTP Sanctuary Issue
Pakistani officials accuse the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of operating freely from Afghan soil under Taliban protection — an allegation Kabul denies. Islamabad insists that verifiable action is needed against TTP sanctuaries that have enabled a sharp rise in violence inside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s army says the recent surge in militant activity has intensified counterterror operations nationwide, resulting in the killing of 1,647 militants in recent months, including 128 Afghan nationals.
After a series of cross-border attacks in early October, Pakistani retaliatory strikes — publicly acknowledged at the time — reportedly killed over 300 fighters, including members of both the Afghan Taliban and TTP.
Kabul’s Claim of Civilian Casualties
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed on Tuesday that at least nine children and a woman were killed when Pakistani aircraft allegedly targeted a home in Khost’s Gurbuz district around midnight.
He said the attack “destroyed the house of a local civilian, Waliat Khan,” and alleged additional strikes in Kunar and Paktika that wounded four civilians.
Those claims have not been independently verified.
The accusations mark the latest escalation in tensions between the two neighbours, with Islamabad maintaining that Afghanistan’s unwillingness or inability to rein in TTP militants has pushed Pakistan to reinforce its border security and expand counterterrorism operations.
Pakistan says it remains committed to regional stability but will “defend every inch of its territory” and expects Kabul to fulfil its obligations under international counterterrorism commitments. Pakistan has categorically rejected Kabul’s allegations, insisting that any blasts reported in Khost, Kunar, or Paktika stem from Afghanistan’s own internal feuds — or, in some cases, staged incidents orchestrated by infiltrated hostile elements — and not from any Pakistani airstrikes.
