Pakistan Strikes 10 Afghan Sites, Kandahar Hit In Second Attack This Week

Pakistan carried out air and drone strikes on 10 locations across Afghanistan on Thursday, September 24, in the second major attack this week as tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government continue to escalate. The strikes reportedly hit Kandahar, the hometown of Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, along with areas in Paktia and Khost.

Pakistan did not initially disclose the locations of its targets. However, a Kandahar resident told AFP that they heard a jet followed by a powerful explosion and then saw a fire in the centre of the city. The strike is significant because Kandahar is home to Akhundzada, although there is no confirmation that the Taliban leader himself or his residence was targeted.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was launched after Pakistani air defences detected and neutralised eight drones that had entered Pakistan from Afghan territory on Wednesday. Four drones were reportedly intercepted near the Torkham border, while four others were brought down near Kohat, according to Pakistani security sources.

Tarar said Pakistan carried out “precision aerial and drone strikes” against 10 locations used to launch and store drones. He described the strikes as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate” and said they were restricted to military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks on Pakistan. He also warned that Islamabad would respond to further attacks from Afghan territory.

Afghan officials gave a different account of the strikes. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces struck Kandahar, Paktia and Khost, and reported that four civilians were killed. He warned that the attacks would have consequences for Pakistan.

In Paktia, provincial officials said Pakistani jets targeted the 203rd Mansouri Corps. In Khost, officials confirmed strikes but said there were no casualties. Pakistan has not publicly identified all 10 locations it targeted or released a casualty figure from Thursday’s operation.

The latest strikes came only days after Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan. Islamabad said those attacks killed 28 militants, while Taliban authorities and the UN confirmed that three civilians were killed in Kunar. The Taliban condemned those strikes as aggression and vowed an appropriate response.

The escalation follows a deadly militant attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul rejects the accusation and says militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.

The latest confrontation threatens to further undermine attempts by China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to mediate between the two neighbours. The countries had experienced nearly three months of relative calm before the recent cycle of strikes and retaliatory threats.