In a new wave of explosions across the borders, Pakistan launched an airstrike on Afghanistan’s Kandahar province on Tuesday and killed many, rekindling tensions between the two countries. The airstrike, which both Afghan and Pakistani authorities confirmed, was in areas close to Spin Boldak, a town along the dangerous Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
In reports, the Pakistani military indicated that the operation was to eliminate hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an alleged militant group that operates from Afghan territory. Pakistan alleged the strikes were a “measured response” to recent terrorist incidents within its border that, it accuses, were planned from across the border.
But the Taliban administration in Kabul denounced the attack, blaming Pakistan for breaching the sovereignty of Afghanistan and international law. Afghan officials said dozens of civilians, including children and women, were among those killed. Whole houses were leveled to the ground in the Spin Boldak district, and dozens of residents were left homeless amid growing fear of imminent attacks.
The incident follows a pattern of escalating cross-border violence between the two nations. Earlier in December 2024, a similar Pakistan Airstrike on Afghanistan’s Paktika province killed at least 46 civilians, prompting widespread international condemnation. Despite repeated diplomatic exchanges, the two sides have failed to establish a stable border management mechanism.
Both nations agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following the attack this week, but experts are skeptical about its long-term success. The border region is still heavily militarized, and sporadic exchanges of fire have kept going on in the past several months. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry justified the attacks, stating that “no country can tolerate the existence of terrorists utilizing neighboring countries’ territories as havens.” Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense issued a threat, saying any further “aggression” would be greeted with a “strong and direct reaction.
Regional experts caution that ongoing hostilities may threaten the shaky peace in South Asia, particularly as both countries are dealing with internal instability and economic adversity. Foreign observers have cautioned restraint and renewed talks to avert an all-out war. To date, humanitarian organizations are evaluating the impact and distributing relief to impacted families within Kandahar. The border is still tense, and civilians are the hardest hit by another round of violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
