Pakistan Strikes Inside Afghanistan as Casualties Mount
Pakistan says it hit militant targets, while the Taliban government says civilians were among dozens killed.
Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan have killed dozens of people, deepening a dangerous standoff between the two neighbors over who is responsible for cross border attacks.
Two very different accounts
The Taliban government says civilians were killed in the strikes. Pakistan maintains that it targeted militants it accuses of using Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border. These competing versions are now the heart of the dispute, and independent verification on the ground remains difficult.
A border that keeps flaring
Tension along the Afghanistan and Pakistan frontier has been building for months. Islamabad blames armed groups sheltering across the border for a rise in attacks, while Kabul rejects the idea that it allows its territory to be used that way. Each strike hardens positions and makes quiet diplomacy harder.
The risk ahead
The danger is a cycle of reprisals that pulls in more areas along the border and drives more families from their homes. Aid groups have warned for months that civilians pay the highest price when these clashes spread. The coming days will show whether either side looks for an off ramp or digs in.
