Dozens Killed in Pakistani Strikes on Seven Militant Targets in Afghanistan

Pakistan launched a series of air strikes targeting militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, with children among the dozens killed and wounded.

Reported by AFP on Sunday (22/2/2026), the overnight strikes were the most extensive since border clashes in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides and injured hundreds.

Pakistan said it struck seven locations along the border region targeting militant groups based in Afghanistan. The strikes followed recent suicide bomb incidents in Pakistan.

“The military targeted the Pakistani Taliban and their allies, as well as affiliates of the Islamic State group,” a statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said “dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were killed and wounded” when strikes hit a madrasa and homes in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.

An AFP journalist in Bihsud district, Nangarhar, reported that residents from surrounding remote and mountainous areas joined rescue teams in a village, using excavators and shovels to search for bodies beneath the rubble.

“The people here are ordinary people. The villagers are our relatives. When the bombing happened, a survivor screamed for help,” said neighbour Amin Gul Amin, 37.

Nangarhar police said the bombing began around midnight and struck three districts.

“Civilians were killed. In one house, there were 23 family members. Five injured people have been evacuated,” said police spokesperson Sayed Tayeeb Hammad.