What happened
Pakistan’s military carried out overnight air strikes on what it described as terrorist positions and support infrastructure inside Afghanistan, and President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday 14 March 2026 that the Afghan Taliban had “crossed a red line” by launching drones at Pakistani cities.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes, part of the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, hit 70 “terrorist-affiliated installations” in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar, including logistics bases and camps. Dawn reported that the targets included fuel storage sites near Kandahar airfield and the 313 Corps ammunition dump in Kabul. State-run Pakistan Television said the military destroyed technical-support infrastructure and an equipment storage facility in Kandahar that it said were used by the Afghan Taliban and by “Fitna al-Khawarij”, the government’s term for the banned Pakistani Taliban movement.
The strikes followed drone attacks the previous night. The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said three “rudimentary drones” were brought down over Kohat using electronic countermeasures, and that falling debris wounded two children in Quetta and a civilian each in Kohat and Rawalpindi. It said initial analysis suggested the devices were off-the-shelf observation drones modified to carry explosives, and that the Taliban later claimed responsibility.
Why it matters
The exchange is the sharpest single escalation in a conflict that began in late February, when Pakistan launched military operations against what it said were Pakistani Taliban fighters sheltering on Afghan soil. Al Jazeera reported that about 99 people on both sides — including 13 soldiers and one civilian in Pakistan, and 13 soldiers and 72 civilians in Afghanistan — have been killed in the clashes.
President Zardari, in a post on X, said: “Afghan soil must not be used for terrorism against neighbours. Pakistan will defend its people.” Pakistan’s military said its operation would continue until the Taliban government addressed its core security concerns.
Reactions and what remains uncertain
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP that the Pakistani strikes caused some damage to a drug rehabilitation centre and an empty container in Kandahar, and said the places Pakistan described were elsewhere. Kabul denies harbouring militants, a charge Islamabad also levels over the Islamic State Khorasan Province.
The escalation drew in regional diplomacy. India on Saturday condemned the Pakistani strikes and said Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity “should be fully respected”; Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, rejected the Indian statement and accused New Delhi of supporting militant groups operating from Afghan soil. The United Nations has reported civilian casualties in Afghanistan since the fighting began, and the UN refugee agency says about 115,000 people have been displaced.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-03-14.
- Al Jazeera — "Pakistan says it conducted new strikes at Afghanistan's military facilities"Published 14 March 2026 · Kandahar strikes, Zardari's red-line warning, drone interception and casualty figures.
- Dawn — "Pakistan hits more terror targets in Afghanistan"Published 14 March 2026 · Tarar's claim of 70 targets, Operation Ghazab lil-Haq figures and the Kohat drone interceptions.
- The News — "ISPR says Afghan Taliban drone attacks foiled"Published 14 March 2026 · ISPR statement on the downed drones and the civilian injuries from debris.
