Pakistan launches cross-border air strikes into Afghanistan after mosque blast

Afghan men search for victims after an overnight Pakistani airstrike hit a residential area in the Girdi Kas village of Bihsud district, Nangarhar province on February 22, 2026. Photo / Aimal Zahir, AFP

Pakistan said it had launched multiple airstrikes targeting neighbouring Afghanistan, where the Government reported children were among dozens of people killed and wounded.

The overnight attacks were the most extensive since border clashes in October killed more than 70 people on both sides and wounded hundreds.

Islamabad said it hit seven sites along the border region targeting Afghanistan-based militant groups “in the aftermath of recent suicide bombing incidents in Pakistan”.

The military targeted the Pakistani Taliban and its associates, as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group, a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

Afghanistan said the strikes hit Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, “martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children”.

“Pakistani generals try to compensate for their country’s security weaknesses through such crimes,” Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X, formerly Twitter.

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar’s Bihsud district saw people using a bulldozer to search for victims under the rubble following the strikes.

Twelve children and teenagers were among 17 people killed when a house was targeted in Bihsud, an Afghan security source told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The two countries have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban authorities retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.

The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated sharply with deadly border clashes since October.

Pakistan said today that despite repeated urging by Islamabad, the Taleban authorities have failed to act against militant groups using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

It said the strikes were carried out in response to a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad two weeks ago and other more recent suicide bombings in northwest Pakistan, including one on Saturday (local time).

The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing, which killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 160 in the deadliest attack on Islamabad since 2008.

The October border violence ended with a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, but several subsequent rounds of talks in Doha and Istanbul have failed to produce a lasting deal.

Security issues are at the heart of the conflict, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing Kabul of harbouring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taleban, that launch attacks on its soil.

The Afghanistan Government denies the allegations.

– Agence France-Presse