Afghan Taliban says Pakistani air strikes killed three in Kunar

September 21, 2026 at 12:30 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Pakistani air strikes killed three members of one family and wounded four in Afghanistan's Kunar province early Monday, Afghan Taliban officials said. The strikes hit Nurgal district at about 4am local time, destroying a house. Pakistan has not commented on the attacks, which follow a deadly bombing in Kohat that killed at least 21 people.

Key Facts

Three members of one family were killed and four others injured in an air attack on a house in Nurgal district, Kunar province, at about 4am local time on Monday.
Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said two locations in Barmal district, Paktika province, were bombarded, destroying one shop and one unoccupied house with no casualties.
Pakistan's Ministry of Information warned on Saturday that the country could hit fighters inside Afghanistan in response to attacks in Pakistan.
A bombing attack on a mosque at a police facility in Kohat, northwestern Pakistan, killed at least 21 people, mostly police officers, days before the air strikes.

The Air Strikes

Kunar provincial spokesperson Farid Dehqan told Al Jazeera that the air attack hit Nurgal district at about 4am local time on Monday (23:30 GMT Sunday), killing three people and injuring four. At least one house in Kunar province was hit, killing three members of the same family and injuring four others, Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X. In Barmal district of Paktika province, two locations were bombarded, destroying one shop and one unoccupied house, with no casualties reported. Residents inspected the rubble of a house destroyed in a strike on Patan village, Kunar province, according to an AP photo caption.

Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan regarding the alleged attacks, which threaten to reignite tensions between the neighbours after nearly three months of relative calm. Relations between the former allies have been strained since February, when the two sides fought their worst clashes in years. The dispute centres on violence in Pakistan, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of harbouring armed groups that stage cross-border attacks from Afghan territory. Afghanistan's Taliban government denies the charges and says the violence is Pakistan's internal problem.

Kohat Attack Context

The air raids on Monday come days after a Pakistan Taliban faction said it carried out a bombing attack on a mosque at a police facility in Kohat, northwestern Pakistan. The blast and subsequent gun battle killed at least 21 people, mostly police officers, Pakistani officials said. Pakistan's Ministry of Information warned Saturday that the country could hit fighters inside Afghanistan in response to attacks in Pakistan. The ministry blamed the Kohat attack on fighters it said were based in Afghanistan.