Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 19
Afghanistan Launches Strikes on 3 Pakistan Areas as Ceasefire Frays After 372 Civilian Deaths
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 19

Afghanistan Launches Strikes on 3 Pakistan Areas as Ceasefire Frays After 372 Civilian Deaths

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jun 19

Summary

  • Thursday night strikes hit alleged ISIS-K sites in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, marking Kabul’s first major claimed offensive action in months.
  • Afghanistan said the targets were used with “hostile intelligence circles” to plan attacks against it, including a site allegedly frequented by senior ISIS-K leaders.
  • Pakistan rejected Kabul’s account, while Afghanistan gave no details on the platform used; the Taliban lacks fighter jets but has at least 6 aircraft, 23 helicopters and drones.
  • The attack further strains a ceasefire that collapsed after a March deal, following Pakistan’s strikes last week that Kabul said killed 13 people, including 11 children.
  • UN data in May showed cross-border fighting killed at least 372 Afghan civilians and injured 397 in the first three months of 2026, underscoring failed China-led mediation.

Insights

As drones dominate the battlefield, has the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict entered a new, more unpredictable phase of warfare?
With Chinese mediation failing, is the Afghanistan-Pakistan border conflict now spiraling into an uncontrollable regional war?