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Jun 19, 2026
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Afghanistan Launches Air Strikes on Pakistan, Escalating Cross-Border Tension

AI Summary
Afghanistan has launched air strikes on hideouts used by armed groups and 'hostile intelligence circles' inside Pakistan, Kabul announced. The incident threatens the fragile ceasefire between the neighbours.

The Lead

Afghanistan has launched air strikes on what it called hideouts used by armed groups and “hostile intelligence circles” inside Pakistan, Kabul has announced. The strikes, reported on Friday by Afghanistan’s defence ministry, were launched the previous day. The incident is the latest threat to the fragile ceasefire between the neighbours.

Cross-Border Tensions

Hostilities have broken out several times over recent months, killing hundreds of people, and mediators led by China have so far failed to secure an agreement for a settled peace. The hideouts, located in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, both of which share a border with Afghanistan, were targeted by the “air force” on Thursday night, Afghanistan’s defence ministry said in a social media post.

The Data Analysis

  • At least 372 Afghan civilians killed and 397 injured in cross-border fighting in the first three months of 2026 (United Nations).
  • Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghan provinces last week, which the Afghan Taliban said killed at least 13 people, including 11 children, and injured 14.
  • Islamabad ‌said the “calibrated strikes” killed 26 fighters and were a response to a recent spate of attacks in the country’s northwest.

The Impact Analysis

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught since the Taliban took power for a second time. Fighting escalated sharply in late February after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for its air raids. Islamabad continues to believe that Kabul is harbouring fighters who carry out deadly attacks in Pakistan, especially the TTP. The Afghan government says the issue is Pakistan’s internal problem.

The Prediction

“Afghanistan will no longer tolerate any threat to its security and stability. ‌It ‌will use all available means and capabilities to neutralise and eliminate any threat at its source,” the Afghan defence ministry said in its statement on Friday. The incident threatens the fragile ceasefire between the neighbours, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming days.