Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions Escalate As Taliban Claims Cross-Border Airstrikes On ISIS Bases

Last Updated:July 01, 2026, 13:20 IST

A senior Taliban military commander described the operation as a "precision" campaign aimed at dismantling militant infrastructure allegedly operating across the Durand Line.

Tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have sharply intensified after Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Defence Ministry claimed it carried out multiple cross-border airstrikes targeting what it described as bases used by the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh) and other groups allegedly plotting attacks against Afghanistan from Pakistani territory.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Defence, the overnight operation struck several locations in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, including the Saranan area of Pishin district, Qambar Khel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Garm Chashma region of Chitral. Afghan officials said the strikes were directed at what they called “centres of evil, corruption and sedition" used by ISIS militants and other anti-Afghanistan armed groups.

A senior Taliban military commander described the operation as a “precision" campaign aimed at dismantling militant infrastructure allegedly operating across the Durand Line. The ministry claimed the targeted sites had been used to organise and launch attacks inside Afghanistan and asserted that the action was taken in self-defence to neutralise imminent security threats.

The Taliban government also maintained that the strikes caused heavy casualties among Daesh militants while insisting that no civilians were killed during the operation. It further declared that Afghanistan would continue to target any location beyond its borders if it believed attacks against the country were being planned there.

The reported strikes mark one of the most serious cross-border escalations between Kabul and Islamabad in recent months. Relations between the two neighbours have steadily deteriorated over accusations that each side is harbouring militant groups responsible for attacks across the border. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allegations Kabul denies. In turn, the Taliban administration has increasingly accused Pakistan of allowing ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) and other hostile groups to operate from Pakistani soil.

Reports circulating on social media also claimed that Pakistani air defence systems attempted to intercept some of the incoming drones, with one interception allegedly resulting in civilian casualties in Peshawar due to falling debris or friendly fire. However, these claims have not been independently verified, and Pakistani authorities had not officially confirmed either the reported interceptions or casualties at the time of writing.

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Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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