March 2024 On 18 March 2024 Pakistan launched pre-dawn airstrikes targeting TTP hideouts in Afghanistan's
Khost and
Paktika province. The strikes were in retaliation to an earlier militant attack by TTP that resulted in death of seven Pakistani soldiers and six TTP militants. According to Afghan local sources, eight individuals, including five family members of a TTP commander, were killed in these airstrikes. Local sources in Afghanistan also report death of some members of TTP group in the airstrikes. However, the Taliban-led Afghan government claims the airstrikes had only killed eight civilians, which included five women and three children. Later,
Afghan Defense Ministry also announced that Afghan army had targeted Pakistani troops at the border in response to the air strikes. Taliban officials did not disclose their losses, however, the local Afghans report death of a soldier of Afghan army in the clashes. Afghanistan led by the
Taliban denied that the perpetrators were from their territory. On 17 March 2024,
President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari vowed strong retaliation against perpetrators of the attack.
PAF airstrikes On 18 March, in response to an attack originating from Afghanistan, the Pakistan Air Force carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika. The Afghan government stated that the strikes killed five women and three children. An Afghan media outlet, citing local sources, also reported the deaths of eight individuals, including five family members of a TTP commander. Pakistan denied this claim, asserting that the operation was intelligence-based and targeted the
Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group—a subgroup faction of the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani officials said the strikes successfully eliminated several militants, including Sehra (known by the alias 'Janan'), a high-value target and senior commander in the Pakistani Taliban. In response to the airstrikes,
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence stated that its forces had targeted Pakistani positions across the border. A Pakistani army captain was killed and two other soldiers were injured in the shelling. Taliban officials did not disclose any casualties on their side; however, local sources in Afghanistan reported the death of one Afghan soldier during the skirmishes. In the vicinity of Wana, artillery fire reportedly struck near defensive positions on both sides of the border, but no losses were reported. On 22 March, a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a military convoy passing through
Dera Ismail Khan; this attack resulted in the death of two Pakistani soldiers and wounding of 15 others. In response to this attack Pakistan vowed a strong retaliation against terrorism. On 25 March, Balochistan Liberation Army's
Majeed Brigade attacked Pakistan's second largest Naval Base
PNS Siddique in Turbat which houses American as well as Chinese aircraft. This attack was foiled by Pakistani Security forces. In this attack, 6 BLA militants were killed by the
Frontier Corps outside the perimeter of the base while one Pakistani soldier was killed. On 26 March, in
Shangla District,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, a suicide bomber
attacked a bus transporting five Chinese laborers and their Pakistani driver on their way to the
Dasu Dam, killing all of them. Pakistan police detained more than 12 people, including some Afghan nationals. But the
Taliban government in Afghanistan has repeatedly denied giving safe haven to militants. On 28 March, the National Resistance Front (NRF), claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Kabul, reporting the deaths of three Taliban members and injuries to five others in two separate incidents. According to the NRF, the first attack targeted a Taliban checkpoint near the Sham-e-Paris Hotel in Kabul’s 4th district, while the second occurred near the Lewa-e-Baba Jan area in the 11th district. The group stated that none of its fighters were harmed. The NRF also claimed to have killed a local Taliban commander, Mawlawi Siddiqullah, and his bodyguard in Baghlan Province on the same day, as well as three Taliban members in Kabul’s Dahan-e-Bagh area on 27 March. The attacks marked renewed activity by the NRF and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), both of which had recently intensified operations against Taliban forces across several Afghan provinces.
June 2024 On 19 June, Abdul Manan, also known as Hakeemullah, a senior commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was reportedly killed in Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. According to Pakistani media, Hakeemullah had previously served with the TTP Malakand Shura and was involved in various militant activities, including targeted killings, checkpoint attacks, landmine explosions, and extortion, as well as training TTP commanders at a madrassa in Sirkanay district. On 25 June, the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) and the National Resistance Front (NRF), reported multiple attacks on Taliban forces in Kabul, claiming at least 14 Taliban members were killed or injured. Taliban authorities did not comment on the incidents. Since the Taliban’s return to power, armed opposition groups, largely composed of former security personnel, have increasingly carried out guerrilla operations, particularly in Kabul and northern provinces. According to a recent UN report, the AFF conducted 14 attacks, all in Kabul, while the NRF carried out 29 attacks across multiple provinces, highlighting the continued activity of anti-Taliban resistance groups.
August 2024 On 12 August, clashes erupted between Taliban and Pakistani forces near the Torkham border crossing in eastern Nangarhar province, leading to the temporary closure of the border. According to Taliban spokesperson Abdul Matin Qani, Pakistani forces initiated the confrontation by firing on Taliban border personnel, prompting a Taliban response. The exchange involved light and heavy weapons, including artillery, and reportedly resulted in the deaths of three Afghan civilians, including a woman and two children. Pakistani reports suggested the clash began after objections to the Taliban’s construction of a checkpoint near the border. The incident led to the evacuation of nearby areas and the temporary suspension of border crossings, marketplaces, and government offices. This incident marked the second border confrontation in less than a week, following a previous skirmish in Paktia and Khost provinces. Heavy clashes had injured at least five Pakistani soldiers, including an officer while in Pakistan's retaliation at least eight
Afghan Taliban fighters were killed including two
Taliban Army commanders (Khalil and Jan Muhammad), and 16 others injured in the early hours of 7 September. One soviet-era
T-62 tank operated by Afghan Taliban was destroyed by the Pakistani forces. On 20 September, militant attacks targeted Pakistani security outposts in the northwestern border regions of South and North Waziristan, near the Afghan border. According to Pakistani officials, the predawn clashes resulted in the deaths of at least six Pakistani soldiers and injuries to 14 others, including four described as seriously wounded. Pakistani forces responded, killing 12 militants during the engagements, including seven who were reportedly attempting to infiltrate from the Afghan side. The Pakistani officials state that they recovered a significant quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the assailants. On 29 September, a clash occurred between Taliban fighters and Pakistani border forces in Nangarhar province, near the Durand Line, resulting in two Taliban fighters killed and three wounded. The confrontation reportedly began when Taliban forces attempted to construct a structure near the border, which Pakistani troops opposed, and both sides used heavy weaponry. This incident is part of a wider pattern of border tensions, with Afghanistan’s Security Watch noting at least 45 skirmishes over the past three years—nearly half involving Pakistan—resulting in over 100 fatalities and numerous injuries. Provinces frequently affected include Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nimroz, and Nangarhar, reflecting the ongoing disputes and strained relations between the Taliban and Pakistan along contested border areas.
December 2024 •
4 December 2024 – Four senior Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders, including Rahimullah, aka Shahid Umer Bajauri, and commanders Tariq Bajauri, Adnan Bajauri, and Khaksar, were killed in an ambush in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The commanders had been invited to a feast and meetings with local TTP personnel when the attack occurred. Rahimullah, listed by Pakistan as a senior TTP figure with a
Rs10 million bounty, was among those killed. According to Pakistani media outlet, the ambush adds to a pattern of high-profile TTP leadership losses in Afghanistan, with over 150 members reportedly killed on Afghan soil. •
21 December 2024 – At least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack by the
Pakistani Taliban on an outpost in
South Waziristan, eight insurgents were also killed in the clash. •
25 December 2024 – See •
26 December 2024 –
Frontier Corps of
Pakistan and
Taliban border guards of
Afghanistan exchanged fire at the border between
Dand Aw Patan and
Kurram, with no casualties or damage initially reported by either side. On 27 December, Afghan and Pakistani border troops exchanged fire for several hours in Dandaw Pattan. Many civilian homes were damaged by rockets. Afghanistan based
TOLOnews, while citing its unnamed sources, also claimed nineteen Pakistani soldiers were killed, however, no official information on casualties or damage on either side has been released. •
28 December 2024 – Fighting broke out again as the Afghan Defence Ministry stated to have attacked "several points" across the border with Pakistan. A security source told
AFP that one Pakistani paramilitary
Frontier Corpsman was killed and seven others were wounded, while 7 to 8 Taliban fighters were reported to have been killed in retaliatory skirmishes. Pakistani security sources reported two incursions and that over 15 TTP militants and Afghan Taliban were killed, and that counter-fire forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon six posts, while only 3 Pakistani border guards were injured in return.
TOLOnews reported that five Afghan were killed and three wounded by a Pakistani mortar shell fired during the clashes. Pakistan security forces released videos purportedly showing several Afghan border posts being attacked by the Pakistani forces. •
29 December 2024 – An explosion targeted the Taliban
Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kabul, killing 10 Taliban fighters and wounding five more. As per Pakistani officials, a third infiltration attempt made by the TTP militants were failed by Pakistani border forces in less than a week. Upon their failure TTP militants resorted to unprovoked firing with heavy weapons on Pakistani border posts, however no casualties were reported on either side. As per Afghanistan media, over a thousand residents of Dand-e-Patan district in Paktia have been displaced to safer areas following recent clashes with Pakistan. Many residents of Alisher district in Khost province have also abandoned their homes along the Durand Line. "There were many problems. The sound of the artillery was terrible. Children were crying, and all the residents of Dand-e-Patan have left," said Hukumran while talking to
TOLOnews, who was displaced due to Pakistan firing. However Pakistani side reported no loss of civilian lives or property. The
National Resistance Front of Afghanistan claimed responsibility, and said that a Taliban commander was killed and three military vehicles destroyed. •
30 December 2024 – 15,000 Taliban troops were deployed to the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to the ongoing skirmishes. The force included multiple
battalion level units armed with Soviet-era Tanks and
Humvees left following the
American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Afghan forces also claimed to have conducted Artillery strikes and reported skirmishes with Pakistan on 30 December.
25 December 2024 On 25 December 2024, multiple
retaliation attacks were launched by
Taliban border Guards on Pakistani posts in border closed areas of
Kurram and
North Waziristan districts in response to the
December 25 Pakistani Airstrikes in Afghanistan. The
Afghan Ministry of Defense confirmed the attacks stating it hit "several points" in Pakistan.
Taliban spokespersons asserted that they had targeted "malicious elements" across the border in Pakistan, but did not specify casualties and extent of damage inflicted upon Pakistani security forces. According to Pakistani officials two infiltration attempt of Afghanistan-based militants were foiled. As per Pakistani official sources, "in the midst of night of December 27 and 28, a group of 20 to 25
Fitna-al-Khawarij terrorists attempted to cross into Pakistan from two locations in
Kurram and
North Waziristan by using
Afghan Taliban Army border posts." As per Pakistani officials,
Pakistani forces retaliated and countered the infiltration attempts by the TTP militants by killing 15
TTP militants and 8
Afghan Taliban and also forcing
Afghan Taliban to abandon six posts, while adding that one
Frontier Corps soldier was killed in the cross-fire whereas seven paramilitary personnel sustained injuries. Pakistan security forces released a video in which several Afghan border posts can be seen being devastated by the Pakistani forces. The
Pakistan Air Force launched precision airstrikes in response to the 21 December attack, on seven locations located across four villages of
Barmal District of
Afghanistan Paktika province initially claiming to have killing 20-25 terrorists. The villages targeted by PAF included Laman, Margha, and Murg Bazaar. Reports indicate that the Murg Bazaar village in
Barmal was completely destroyed. The airstrikes took four
High Value Targets (HVTs) that included terrorists camps and hideouts of key commanders, these included the compounds/hideouts in Afghanistan of Mukhlis Yar (known by the alias of Sher Zaman) who was a trainer for suicide bombers, Abu Hamza (known by the alias of Izhar) who was a senior TTP commander and Akhtar Muhammad (known by the alias of Khalil) who was the second-in-command of the
Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. All of these commanders were using camps for recruitment and training young child suicide bombers and terrorists. The fourth target struck by PAF was the "
Umar Media" centre of TTP, being headed by the TTP's commander Shoaib Iqbal (known by the alias of Muneeb Jatt), from where the TTP propagated its digital propaganda. Afghan Taliban's Defence Ministry, the
Afghan Taliban regime official spokesperson
Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakistani forces, but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians. Taliban spokesperson
Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed reports of the strikes carried out by Pakistani forces but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians; it said that 46 people had been killed, most of whom were children and women, and 6 more people were wounded, mostly children. This had marked the third round of airstrike launched by Pakistan on Afghanistan since the
fall of Kabul in 2021. The airstrikes took place on the birthday of Pakistan's founder,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah and 6 wounded, with the casualties including children. Five women and children were confirmed casualties as a result of the airstrikes.
Pakistan's foreign ministry did not directly comment on the strikes but said the armed forces conducted “operations in border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terrorist groups” and further added, “These counterterrorism operations are carefully selected and based on accurate intelligence”.January 2025
January 2025 On 1 January, an MPA of the
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Anwar Zaib Khan, claimed that 400 militants from Afghanistan had seized five border posts along the border in
Bajaur District, raising the flags of
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and began fortifying their newly acquired positions and that the local residents began fleeing the area expecting an imminent large scale operation by the
Pakistan Armed Forces. The Pakistan Armed Forces had asked the local residents of the Mulla Saeed Banda area in the
Salarzai tehsil and the
Mamund tehsil of the
Bajaur district to evacuate, in order to allow for a clearance operation to be conducted. Limited light skirmishes between the two sides continued. On 3 January, Afghanistan-based media outlets reported armed clashes between
Frontier Corps of Pakistan and
Taliban Army of Afghanistan. According to reports of the Afghan media, Pakistani forces targeted the Alisher district of
Khost with rocket and projectiles at 1:30 AM,
Pakistan launched rocket attacks till 5:00 AM, and then the forces of the Islamic Emirate responded to these attacks. The cross border firing came to halt till dawn. Neither side commented on the clashes officially. A projectile from Pakistan targeted Taliban urban positions in Alisher area of
Khost province, destroying a guest room connected to a house. Skirmishes between both sides at the border were reported by local sources. According to Afghan media, around 1:30 AM, Pakistani forces fired rockets at Taliban positions, and the Afghan army retaliated with heavy artillery. The situation reportedly calmed just before dawn. At least three villages in Afghanistan Airukam, Kaga, and Garab were reportedly hit by Pakistani mortar strikes. On the night of 3 January 2025,
Afghan Taliban and
Pakistani Taliban launched joint raids targeting Pakistani Border Posts, in the
Spinwam area of
North Waziristan. The exchange included over 50 rounds of firing. The mortar shelling forced hundreds of families in Kunar to leave their homes, according to local residents. On the Pakistani side, officials confirmed that mortars were fired into their territory, targeting adjacent districts of Mohmand and Bajaur. No loss of property or lives were reported on the Pakistani side. On 7 January 2025, a mortar shell launched from Afghanistan struck
Mohmand District in
Pakistan, no casualties was reported. The exchange included over 50 rounds of rockets and shells. On the Pakistani side, officials confirmed that mortars were fired into their territory, targeting adjacent districts of
Mohmand and
Bajaur. No loss of property or lives were reported on the Pakistani side. On 23 January, the Afghan Taliban claimed that "terrorists" affiliated with the
National Resistance Front (NRF) were being deployed by Pakistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in order to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan. On that same day, six more TTP insurgents who were attempting to infiltrate the
border, were killed by Pakistani forces in
Zhob District.
February 2025 From 3 February, sporadic small scale skirmishes between Pakistani and Afghan forces were reported in
Bahram Chah district of
Helmand province, prompting Afghanistan to evacuate civilians from the area. Both sides reinforced their positions and Taliban started blocking roads in the area. The
205th Al-Badr Corps was deployed by Taliban to reinforce the region. On 16 February, a senior commander of the
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the
Pakistani Taliban was wounded as his vehicle was intercepted near the border. On the same day, there was a confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan border forces on Torkham border crossing from both sides, firing on both sides started between
Khyber District and the corresponding
Nangarhar province as well as
Mohmand District and the corresponding
Kunar province, officials on both sides confirmed no casualties. On 2 March, Taliban’s Ministry of Interior confirmed that one of their border forces was killed and two others were wounded in an exchange of fire on Sunday night. Clashes resumed on 3 March, and according to sources, at least three Pakistani soldiers were injured, while three Taliban members were killed. The exchange of firing left a civilian injured on the Pakistani side of the border. On March 3–4, clashes erupted once again, with Pakistan reporting that the Taliban was constructing a post on Pakistani soil. The border crossing was shut and a clash ensued, a Taliban soldier was killed and two Taliban soldiers were injured, while 4 Pakistani FC personnel were injured. On 7 March, Pakistan claimed to have captured four insurgents that had crossed into
Balochistan after crossing the border from
Afghanistan. On the night of 22 and 23 March, dozens of TTP militants attempted to infiltrate through the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border at the town of
Ghulam Khan Kallay,
North Waziristan. Paramilitary border guards of
Frontier Corps, foiled the attempt, by killing 16 TTP members, while seizing large amounts of weapons, ammunition and explosives. Pakistan's border guards of Frontier Corps successfully foiled attempt of the Afghanistan-based terrorists by killing sixteen(16) members of the TTP.
April 2025 Between night of 5–6 April, a group of eight terrorists belonging to the Afghanistan-based terror outfit
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed by the
Frontier Corps of Pakistan. The terrorists were killed while attempting to cross the border fence on the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The clash also left four other fleeing terrorists critically injured. No loss of life or material was reported on the Pakistani side. On 10 April, an explosion in Kandahar’s Aino Mina neighbourhood reportedly killed 12 members of Pakistani militant groups, including the
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the TTP, and wounded five others, according to local sources. The blast occurred as militants were leaving a gathering, but Taliban officials denied any airstrike, attributing the explosion to old or decaying munitions stored near the anti-narcotics department. Residents reported hearing a powerful blast followed by gunfire, and Taliban emergency crews responded to contain the incident. While casualties among Taliban guards were acknowledged, the exact number was not disclosed, and Taliban spokespeople maintained that no foreign attack had taken place. Between 6 April and 27 April 2025, Pakistan border guards of the paramilitary
Frontier Corps and soldiers of the
Pakistan Army killed 54 terrorists attempting to infiltrate through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border near the Bibak Ghar area in
Hassan Khel Tehsil (revenue unit) of
North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 27, according to reports by
Dawn. According to the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), this was the highest-ever number of terrorists killed by paramilitary forces in a single engagement throughout the campaign against terrorism. “On night 25/26 and 26/27 April 2025, [the] movement of a large group of Khwarij, who were trying to infiltrate through
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by the security forces in [the] general area [of]
Hassan Khel, North Waziristan District. [Our] own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. As a result of precise and skilful engagement, all fifty-four khawarijis have been sent to hell.” the statement added. A large cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the slain terrorists. The Inter-Services Public Relations added further that the death toll in Security Forces’ action on infiltrating terrorists on April 27, climbed up to 71 as 17 more dead bodies of terrorists were recovered on April 28.
August 2025 On 27 August, multiple Afghan media sources reported Pakistani drone strikes in
Kunar,
Nangarhar and
Khost provinces of Afghanistan. Afghanistan media claimed Pakistani drones hit the
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). As per Afghan media, the first strike hit Surkakh village in
Spera District, Khost province, an area known to host terrorists of the
Pakistani Taliban and
Gul Bahadur Group which regularly carry out massacres of Pakistani civilians across the
Afghanistan–Pakistan border. Local sources state strikes also resulted in the casualties of two children while six others wounded. A second strike struck a house belonging to a man named Shahsawar in Viala village of
Shinwar District, Nangarhar province. The house was hit twice, leaving two children missing and two others wounded, who were taken to hospital. Residents also reported multiple explosions in three districts of Kunar province including
Marawara, Sarkano and
Dangam, all of which border Pakistan and considered to be hotbed of Afghanistan-based TTP terrorists. Viala village of Shinwar District is also famous hotbed and refuge of TTP terrorists. In response, the Taliban summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in
Kabul and handed him a formal letter of protest.
Pakistan did not comment or claimed responsibility for the drone attacks.
October 2025 On 3 October, a Taliban member, Zarin Khan from Laghman’s Gharghai district, was killed in skirmishes with Pakistani forces along the eastern Kunar province border, an Afghan media outlet reported. The fighting began early Thursday in Nari district and continued intermittently until 8 a.m. Friday, forcing around 20 Afghan families to flee the area. On 11 October 2025, in response to the Pakistani airstrikes, Afghanistan has reinforced its border with Pakistan with fire being exchanged on both sides. Afghan forces attacked multiple border posts and claimed to have captured two posts in
Helmand Province while Pakistani forces claimed to have retaliated with artillery strikes at four locations, as well as by tanks and both light and heavy weaponry. On the same day, six civilians were injured when mortar rounds fired from the Pakistani side struck residential homes. From 11 to 19 October, a large-scale conflict erupted between Afghan and Pakistani troops on the border after Pakistani airstrikes on TTP targets in Kabul triggered Taliban retaliation. This conflict was the largest since the Taliban came to power in 2021. After mediation by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the two sides announced a ceasefire ten days later. As per the agreement, the Afghan government agreed to cease support for groups that carry out attacks against Pakistan, notably the
Pakistani Taliban, while both sides would "refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure." On 15 October, in Spin Boldak, at least seven civilians were killed and 30 wounded. The youngest victim was three months old. In Kabul's PD4 district, two explosions struck a residential area, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 37 others. Witnesses stated that rockets struck an oil tanker and nearby homes, causing widespread destruction. Residents reported hearing aircraft or drones overhead. The Pakistani Taliban confirmed his death but did not provide details about the circumstances of the killing.
November 2025 On 7 November, a clash broke out between Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani border forces at the Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, with both sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict amid peace negotiations between both sides. The Afghan Taliban spokesman, while blaming Pakistani border forces for firing first, stated that Taliban fighters refrained from responding to the gunfire to respect the ongoing talks in Istanbul. At least five people were killed and six others were injured on the Afghan side, while no casualties were reported from the Pakistani side. Some eyewitnesses in Afghanistan claimed that Pakistani fighter jets bombed areas inside Afghan territory during the clash. Following the clashes, the negotiations between the two sides reportedly deadlocked. On 25 November, Afghan authorities reported that at least nine children and a woman were killed in
Khost province after what the Taliban administration described as a Pakistani air strike on a civilian home in the
Gurbuz district. Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the attack, reported at midnight, destroyed the residence of a local man, Waliat Khan, and that additional strikes in
Kunar and
Paktika provinces wounded at least four civilians. Taliban vowed "appropriate response" in the future.
December 2025 On 4 December, Pakistani border forces shot dead three laborers who were crossing the border around the Paktika province. The clash between the two countries also injured 4 Afghan and 3 Pakistani civilians. The clash also forced many Afghan civilians to flee Spin Boldak overnight and seek refugee in other areas. According to
UNAMA, at least 70 civilians were killed and 478 injured in Afghanistan between October and December 2025. The Taliban administration stated that the findings were "close to reality." On 26 February, Pakistani authorities reported that Afghan forces fired into northwestern Pakistan for two hours during the evening. Both sides claimed to have conducted cross-border raids to capture or destroy each other's outposts. Afghan Taliban officials confirmed that the assault was in response to the Pakistani airstrikes. == See also ==