Civilian Casualties, TTP Camps, And the Growing Afghanistan-Pakistan Rift: What Triggered The Latest Border Escalation? Explained

Afghanistan’s dispute with Pakistan: Afghanistan lashed out at Pakistan on Sunday after Pakistani airstrikes hit targets along the border, aiming at Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters. Afghan officials called the strikes a blatant breach of the country’s sovereignty and international law.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan government spokesperson, posted on X that the airstrikes slammed into a religious seminary and several homes in the border regions.

He said dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed or wounded. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children,” he wrote.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence hits back

Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence didn’t hold back either. They called it both a religious and national duty to protect their people and territory, warning that Afghanistan would respond in due time.

In another X post, the ministry blamed the Pakistani army’s intelligence and security failures for the attacks on civilian targets and religious centres, saying that repeated aggression wouldn’t cover up Pakistan’s internal problems.

Pakistan said its military launched airstrikes along the Afghan border early Sunday, targeting TTP fighters they accused of carrying out recent deadly attacks inside Pakistan. 

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the operation as “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps linked to the TTP and its affiliates. He also said a regional Islamic State group was among the targets.

“Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region,” Tarar posted, but insisted that protecting Pakistani citizens comes first.

People in the Margha area heard several explosions in quick succession, suggesting a well-coordinated military operation. Reports said missiles from an unidentified aircraft hit the Banusi Madrasa in Bermal, but the video footage is yet to be verified.

At least 28 TTP fighters died in the strikes, which hit multiple locations in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan. According to Pakistani broadcaster Geo News, the operation focused on camps tied to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK), its affiliates, and Daesh Khorasan Province (DKP).

The government said the strikes were “precise and accurate,” in direct response to recent suicide attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu during Ramzan.

Multiple explosions were heard in rapid succession

This spike in violence comes after a series of deadly attacks in northwestern Pakistan. In Bajaur, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a security checkpoint, killing 11 soldiers and a child.

Hours later in Bannu, another suicide attack killed two more soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Officials said the Bajaur attacker was an Afghan national.

Tarar claimed authorities had “conclusive evidence” tying the recent attacks, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that left 31 dead, to militants acting on orders from leaders based in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan had kept urging Afghanistan’s Taliban government to stop militants from using Afghan soil to launch cross-border attacks, and he called on the international community to push Kabul to live up to its promises under the Doha Agreement.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad “very legitimately demands that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism inside Pakistan.” He warned that while Pakistan had exercised restraint, “all options remain on the table.”

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been running high over the past year because of rising cross-border violence, even though a ceasefire brokered by Qatar has mostly held in recent months.

What is the dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan? 

Afghanistan and Pakistan have been at odds for ages. It’s a messy relationship, tangled up in old grudges, shifting borders, and a lot of suspicion on both sides. The biggest sticking point? The Durand Line.

That’s a 2,640-kilometre stretch drawn way back in 1893 by the British. Pakistan sees it as the real border, but Afghan leaders have never really accepted it. They say it split up Pashtun families and communities.

Things get even tenser when you throw security into the mix. Pakistan keeps saying that militants—like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hide out in Afghanistan and then cross over to attack.

Afghanistan fires back, accusing Pakistan of backing different Taliban groups to keep a grip on what happens in Kabul. These back-and-forth accusations aren’t just talk; they’ve led to real fighting, airstrikes, and sometimes the temporary shutdown of major border crossings like Torkham and Chaman.

That messes with trade and makes life harder for regular people trying to get by.

After the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021, things didn’t exactly mellow out. People hoped for better relations, but border clashes kept happening.

Pakistan has even launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, saying they’re after militants. Afghan leaders haven’t taken that lightly, they condemn the attacks and promise to hit back.

All this tension spills over into the whole region. It’s not just about politics; it disrupts trade, hurts local economies, and makes already tough humanitarian problems even worse.

At this point, serious diplomacy is the only way to keep things from getting even uglier between these two neighbours.

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