The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly condemned fresh Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory, saying the attacks killed four civilians and represented a serious violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani military forces carried out aerial bombardments early Thursday in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, resulting in the deaths of four civilians. His account was also reported by international news agencies, while Pakistani authorities confirmed that they had conducted strikes at multiple locations inside Afghanistan.

Mujahid denounced the attacks as indiscriminate and described them as a violation of fundamental principles and an outright crime. He said the Islamic Emirate would adopt a decisive position and deliver what he called an “appropriate response” to the latest attacks.

The fresh strikes mark another escalation in already strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Mujahid said Pakistani military circles had attempted to justify the latest aggression by claiming on Wednesday that drones had flown toward Pakistan from Afghan territory.

According to the Afghan spokesman, Islamabad used the allegation as a pretext to launch another attack on Afghanistan and divert attention from its own internal problems.

Pakistan, however, says its forces struck 10 locations in Afghanistan that it alleges were being used to launch or store drones involved in attacks against Pakistan. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the operation as targeting military objectives linked to what Islamabad called attempted attacks against Pakistan.

Kabul has rejected Pakistan's broader accusations that Afghanistan is responsible for militant attacks inside Pakistan, maintaining that Islamabad's security problems are an internal matter and should not be used to justify attacks on Afghan territory.

The reported civilian deaths come only days after another round of Pakistani airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Afghan officials and the UN previously confirmed that three civilians were killed and four wounded in an apparent Pakistani airstrike in Kunar on September 21. Pakistan said that operation targeted militants and claimed to have killed 28 people it described as militants.

The latest escalation has therefore raised renewed concern over the safety of civilians in Afghanistan's border provinces.

A review by Amu TV, citing its assessment of previous attacks and UN casualty reporting, said Pakistani air and drone strikes inside Afghanistan between October 2025 and September 2026 had killed 364 civilians and wounded 346 others.

Mujahid warned that what he described as reckless and irresponsible Pakistani actions would further anger the Afghan people and could have serious consequences for Pakistan's military.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called for Afghanistan's territorial integrity to be respected and has argued that disputes between the two neighboring countries should be addressed through dialogue rather than military action.

The latest confrontation also threatens ongoing efforts by China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to help reduce tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.

With Pakistani strikes and cross-border accusations continuing to intensify, Afghanistan's Islamic Emirate says it will defend the country's sovereignty while holding Pakistan responsible for what Kabul describes as repeated acts of aggression against Afghan territory. (ILKHA)