Afghan officials said at least 36 civilians were killed and more than 160 injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes, while Pakistan said it targeted militant hideouts after recent attacks inside the country. The strikes have intensified cross-border tensions despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation between the neighbouring nations.

At least 36 civilians were killed and more than 160 others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, Afghan officials said on Monday, as tensions between the neighbouring countries escalated further.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said security forces launched a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late on Sunday, followed by strikes on militant hideouts and safe havens that killed 29 fighters. He said the operation was launched in response to multiple militant attacks across Pakistan.

Afghanistan Condemns Strikes

Afghanistan condemned the strikes as a "cowardly act of aggression" and an "act of brutality". Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban government, said Pakistani forces targeted a house in Chamkani district of Paktia province, killing an elderly man and a child and injuring other family members. He said the area was struck again after residents gathered for rescue efforts, killing 28 villagers and wounding 158 others.