Pakistan bombed targets in two Afghan provinces on Thursday, and the two governments gave irreconcilable accounts of who died. Pakistan's Ministry of Information said "initial reports suggest" that 22 fighters were killed. The Taliban government replied that the victims were nine civilians — women and children — plus 11 wounded.
Neither count could be independently verified.
Two provinces, two accounts
The strikes hit Kunar, in north-eastern Afghanistan on the Pakistani border, and Helmand, in the south of the country. Islamabad described the operation as "well planned and calibrated" against "hideouts and camps" belonging to armed groups, and said it had destroyed large weapons caches.
"Maximum precautions were taken and it was ensured that no collateral damage occurs," the Pakistani ministry said, adding that the campaign "will continue at full pace".
Kabul's version is different. The Taliban government's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the bombing destroyed three houses and that those killed were civilians. "We condemn this act and consider it an act of aggression and a crime that violates all universally accepted principles," he said.
What lies behind it
Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of harbouring the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, which stages attacks across the border. Kabul denies giving the group sanctuary and maintains that Pakistani offensives hit civilian homes.
The dispute is not new, and air power has not settled it: Pakistan resorted to similar bombing in February and in June this year without stopping TTP attacks on its own territory. Thursday's strikes interrupt roughly three months of relative calm between the two countries.
The civilian tally
The civilian cost of border violence was already high before this round. According to figures compiled by the United Nations (UN), more than 1,100 civilians have been killed or wounded in cross-border incidents over the course of 2026.
The number helps place the problem: every exchange of accusations between Islamabad and Kabul over who was hit happens in a context where most documented victims belong to neither army.
With information from the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and statements from Pakistan's Ministry of Information.
