Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday, 21 September 2026, condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on Kunar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, which killed at least three civilians, and warned that Afghans would deliver an 'appropriate response' to what he called an act of aggression.

What the Strikes Hit

According to Mujahid, Pakistani strikes in Kunar killed one woman and two men and wounded two women and two men, all described as local civilian residents. In Paktika, a house and a local shop were bombed, with no casualties reported from that province. Mujahid posted details of the strikes directly on X, characterising them as a 'repetition of crimes' against Afghan civilians.

'Crime and Aggression: Last night, the invading Pakistani army bombarded civilian areas of Afghanistan in Kunar and Paktika provinces. In Kunar, one woman and two men were martyred, and two women and two men were wounded; all of them are local civilian residents. In Paktika, one house and one local shop were bombed, with no casualties reported,' Mujahid posted.

Taliban's Accusation Against Pakistan

The Taliban spokesperson accused Pakistan's military establishment of launching the strikes to divert domestic attention from its own internal security failures. 'Afghans will give an appropriate response to this aggression, God willing,' he added. Afghan authorities have consistently rejected Pakistani claims that the Taliban is complicit in allowing armed groups — particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — to operate from Afghan soil.

This denial sits at the core of a deepening rift between the two neighbours, with Islamabad repeatedly pressing Kabul to act against cross-border militant activity — and the Taliban administration consistently pushing back.

UN Documents Growing Civilian Toll

The latest strikes compound a documented pattern of cross-border civilian harm. On 28 July, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 57 people were killed and 342 others injured in cross-border armed violence in Afghanistan between 1 April and 30 June. The UN attributed all cross-border civilian casualties during that period to Pakistani security forces.

Among the victims, according to UNAMA, were 26 children killed and 86 injured, alongside six women killed and 34 injured. The agency identified the single deadliest incident as Pakistani airstrikes in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar on 28 June, followed by shelling in Kunar between 27 and 29 April.

Human Rights Watch Calls for War Crimes Probe

On 15 July, US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for an impartial investigation into possible war crimes following Pakistan's strikes in Afghanistan. HRW cautioned that civilian casualties alone are not conclusive proof of laws-of-war violations, but said reports of civilian deaths heightened the urgent need for independent probes.

'International humanitarian law requires warring parties to take all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm. Attacking forces must at all times distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and combatants and military objectives on the other, and only target the latter,' HRW stated.

The rights group also noted that violations by one side do not relieve the other of its own legal obligations — a remark widely read as addressed to both Islamabad and the Taliban administration.

Escalating Tensions, Uncertain Outlook

Monday's strikes are the latest in a series of cross-border confrontations that have intensified over the past several months. With the UN documenting hundreds of casualties, HRW demanding accountability, and the Taliban now issuing a public warning of retaliation, the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship appears to be entering a more volatile phase — with civilian populations on both sides of the border bearing the heaviest cost.