Taliban security officials and local residents inspect the site of a suspected Pakistani airstrike near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Nangarhar.Image: keystone
Feb 23, 2026, 3:31 p.mFeb 23, 2026, 3:31 p.m
According to the UN, at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others were injured in Pakistani air strikes in neighboring Afghanistan over the weekend.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the victims also included women and children. The attacks took place on the night of Saturday to Sunday in the Afghan border area. Among other things, a Koran school, a mosque and a residential building were damaged.
In response to the attacks, Kabul summoned the Pakistani ambassador on Sunday and warned of consequences. The defense minister of the Taliban ruling Afghanistan announced an “appropriate and measured response”.
Afghan government officials initially reported 18 deaths. As a police spokesman for Nangarhar province told the DPA news agency on Monday, five people are still missing.
The Pakistani Ministry of Information announced at the weekend that the attacks targeted seven terrorist camps and hideouts of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) and the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently verified.
Pakistan accuses the Islamist Taliban of providing protection to terrorist groups. The United Nations also wrote in a recently published report that the government in Kabul provides a favorable environment for various terrorist groups in the country and supports the Pakistani Taliban.
In recent months there have been increasing attacks by IS and the Pakistani Taliban in Pakistan. In a particularly serious attack near Islamabad at the beginning of February, 36 people were killed and around 170 others were injured. (sda/dpa)