Pakistan launches air strikes in Afghan provinces after Karachi attack, analysts say force alone won’t curb cross-border militancy
Pakistan said its forces killed dozens of militants in strikes on three Afghan provinces following a deadly assault on a Karachi security base, while experts warn that repeated military pressure has not reduced attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s military announced overnight air strikes in the Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar, claiming 25 militants were killed, and a ground operation in Pakistan’s Bajaur district that eliminated several members of the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) group, including a senior commander. The moves came after a June 27 attack on a Sindh Rangers compound in Karachi that left three paramilitary personnel dead and four wounded.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar posted the strike details on X, while Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Afghanistan’s charge d’affaires had lodged a formal protest and that Pakistan had delivered a reciprocal demarche to Kabul. > "Afghan soil and Afghan nationals continue to be used to orchestrate terrorist attacks inside Pakistan," Andrabi said.
The JuA, a faction that split from the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) but remains aligned with it, claimed responsibility for the Karachi assault. An arrested attacker, identified as Afghan national Usman Ali from Jalalabad, told investigators the assault team had entered Pakistan a week earlier.
Afghan Taliban officials denied involvement and accused Pakistan of civilian casualties, posting images of wounded children and alleging dozens of non-combatants were killed. Independent verification of the competing claims has not been possible.
Security analysts note that attacks in Pakistan rose 34 % in 2025, with more than 1,000 deaths and over 1,300 injuries, concentrated mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. They argue that Pakistan’s reliance on cross-border strikes, deportations and intermittent cease-fire talks has not produced a lasting reduction in violence. > "The fundamental flaw I see in Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy is the lack of a consistent approach and an over-reliance on the use of force, while governance flaws are left unaddressed," said regional expert Ihsanullah Tipu Maseed.
International observers, including the United Nations, have documented civilian casualties from Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan, recording at least 372 deaths and 397 injuries in the first quarter of 2026. Afghan public opinion appears to be shifting against Pakistan’s actions, with commentators noting that the strikes are reinforcing a narrative of Pakistani aggression.
Experts caution that the current cycle of attack and retaliation is unsustainable and call for a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy that goes beyond military pressure.
