KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban says its forces carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan targeting facilities linked to Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), in a rare claim of cross-border military action that could further strain relations with Islamabad.
In a statement on Friday, the Taliban Ministry of Defence said its forces conducted overnight strikes on three locations, including two in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The ministry said the targets included “joint ISIS centers” in the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah district and the Shakarab region of Chagai district in Balochistan. It added another strike hit a site linked to ISIS-K in the Qambar Khel area of Orakzai district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which it claimed was used by senior figures of the group.
The ministry described the operation as successful and said the sites had been used, with the cooperation of “certain hostile intelligence circles,” to plan attacks against Afghanistan. “Afghanistan would not tolerate threats to its security and would take decisive action against groups it considers dangerous,” the ministry added.
Pakistani authorities have yet to comment on the allegation. No independent sources have confirmed the strikes or reported casualties.
If confirmed, the strikes would mark a rare instance of the Taliban publicly acknowledging direct military action inside Pakistan, a move that could significantly heighten tensions between the two neighbors.
Relations between the Taliban and Islamabad have deteriorated over the past year amid rising security concerns, border management disputes, and reciprocal accusations of harboring militant groups.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban authorities of sheltering the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and Baloch separatist militants, which are responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban rejects these allegations and, in turn, accuses ISIS-K of operating from Pakistani territory.
Tensions have further escalated following cross-border incidents, airstrikes, and diplomatic disputes that have disrupted border movement and trade and led to civilian casualties on both sides.
