Afghanistan Launches Retaliatory Drone Strikes After Pakistan’s Air Raids | Exclusive

Published 19 June 2026 · world

Afghanistan Launches Retaliatory Drone Strikes After Pakistan’s Air Raids | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 13:03 IST The Afghan Taliban claimed the

Afghanistan Launches Retaliatory Drone Strikes After Pakistan’s Air Raids | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: June 19, 2026, 13:03 IST The Afghan Taliban claimed the drone attacks decimated ISIS terror camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Rapid Read The Afghanistan-Pakistan ties have been tense since October 2025. (File) In a significant escalation on the Durand Line, Afghanistan has launched retaliatory drone strikes inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban claimed the drone attacks decimated ISIS terror camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The centres were being used for planning and organising attacks on the Afghan soil, the ministry said. They claimed the drones targeted Pakistani territory following last week’s deadly airstrikes in Nangarhar and Paktia that left Afghan women and children dead.

The border crisis Under a military offensive termed Operation Ghazab Lil-Haq, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched precision strikes on suspected militant hideouts — primarily targeting the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). These strikes specifically targeted key infrastructure in the Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, as well as in Kabul and Kandahar. In response to initial Pakistani bombings that Kabul claimed caused civilian casualties, Afghan Taliban forces launched a large-scale ground offensive, reportedly capturing several Pakistani border outposts and military sites along the Durand Line before being met with massive retaliatory air and ground strikes by Pakistan.

In Paktia, Pakistani airstrikes reportedly destroyed a Taliban corps headquarters. In Nangarhar, multiple military bases, weapon storage depots, and border brigade infrastructure were successfully neutralised by PAF aircraft. The airstrikes and cross-border skirmishes forced widespread displacement across the region. The UN reported over 94,000 newly displaced individuals across eastern provinces, with dozens of civilian casualties and significant damage to health facilities, religious structures, and humanitarian sites. The conflict prompted nations like Türkiye, Russia, and China to offer diplomatic mediation to establish a ceasefire and de-escalate the volatile border situation. With agency inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: June 19, 2026, 13:01 IST News world Afghanistan Launches Retaliatory Drone Strikes After Pakistan’s Air Raids | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.