Pakistan confirms strikes on three targets in Afghanistan as casualty accounts diverge

Pakistan's Information Ministry said on September 21 that Pakistani forces struck three targets inside Afghanistan and that 28 people it described as terrorists and suicide bombers were killed. Its brief statement did not identify the dead, give complete target locations or publish independently verifiable evidence.

Afghan deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said a home in Patan village, Nurgal district, Kunar province, was hit, killing three members of one family and injuring four. He said two locations in Barmal district, Paktika province, were also bombed, destroying a shop and an unoccupied house without casualties there.

Chief Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes and said Afghanistan would respond. Pakistan linked the action to recent militant violence at home: at least 24 people were killed in the September 18 attack on a police facility in Kohat, while six Pakistani security personnel died in fighting in Hangu on September 20.

Reuters and the Associated Press reported that the competing casualty and targeting claims could not be independently verified. N Globe confirms the core event: Pakistan has formally acknowledged conducting cross-border strikes and Afghanistan has confirmed impacts on its territory. This report does not treat either side's death toll or identity allegations as established fact.

The accompanying image is an N Globe editorial illustration, not documentary footage. Verification status: developing. News value: S-level breaking news. Origin region: Afghanistan (Asia). Primary section: War / military. Related regions: Pakistan, China, Asia and World. Pakistan's official confirmation: approximately September 21, 2026, 09:39 UTC. Report date: September 21, 2026.