Afghanistan

Pakistan Claims to Have Killed Over 70 in Afghanistan Strikes

Did Pakistan strike terrorist centers or did it bomb innocent Afghan civilians?

Published FEB 23

Pakistan Claims to Have Killed Over 70 in Afghanistan Strikes

Story

Above: Afghan residents dig mass graves for the victims at the Girdi Kas village, Nangarhar province, on Feb. 22, 2026. Image credit: AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Pakistan's Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry claimed Sunday that more than 70 militants were killed in air strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region on Saturday night. The Afghan Defense Ministry disputed this, stating the attacks hit civilian areas.
The Times of India
Dw.Com
The strikes targeted seven camps in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces that Pakistan said belonged to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and its affiliates. Afghanistan's Taliban government called the operations a violation of airspace and sovereignty.
ABC Australia
NDTV
Pakistan said the strikes were conducted in response to recent suicide bombings, including an attack on a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed at least 31 people. An Islamic State group affiliate had claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing.
GEO
Dw.Com
The Afghan Red Crescent Society reported 18 people were killed in the strikes. Local tribal elder Habib Ullah stated those killed were not militants but civilians living simple village lives.
ABC Australia
The Times of India
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that at least 13 civilians were killed in the airstrikes on Nangarhar Province, and seven others were wounded, including women and children.
The Associated Press
Afghanistan International
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants who carry out attacks in Pakistan, allegations that Afghan authorities deny.
Amu TV
NDTV

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Pakistan's intelligence-based airstrikes destroyed seven terrorist centers in Afghanistan, killing militants who orchestrated recent suicide bombings that murdered innocent Pakistanis during Ramadan. Despite repeated pleas for the Afghan Taliban to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on their soil, they've failed to act, forcing Pakistan to defend its citizens. These strikes were a necessary and proportionate response to an ongoing terror wave that has claimed countless Pakistani lives since 2021.

DAWN

Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on X

Narrative B

Pakistani military forces bombed civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, killing and wounding dozens of innocent people, including women and children. Pakistani generals have been lashing out after their own country's security failures by committing crimes against Afghan civilians. Unlike Pakistan's indiscriminate attacks on civilians, any response will target Pakistani military personnel.

Ariana News on X

Zabihullah Mujahid on X