'No More Talks': Taliban Vows Retaliation, Says Pakistan 'Deliberately Targeted' Afghan Civilians

Last Updated:March 17, 2026, 09:37 IST

Drawing a sharp comparison, Taliban said Pakistani forces were employing tactics similar to Israeli military operations against innocent civilians.

The Afghan Taliban has strongly condemned Pakistan’s latest wave of airstrikes, accusing Islamabad of carrying out deadly attacks on civilian locations and violating Afghan airspace. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid alleged that the Pakistani military deliberately targeted hospitals, schools and madrasahs to “perpetrate terror and horror" among civilians. Drawing a sharp comparison, he said Pakistani forces were employing tactics similar to Israeli military operations against innocent civilians. Mujahid claimed the strikes were not isolated military actions but part of a sustained pattern of aggression, adding that Afghan airspace was being violated continuously.

The Taliban says the latest bombardment was among the deadliest episodes in recent months. According to its claims, around 400 people were killed and many others injured in air raids in Kabul. Mujahid alleged that a drug rehabilitation centre in the Afghan capital was struck, leading to the deaths of addicts who were undergoing treatment. Kabul has condemned the incident in the strongest terms, calling it a crime that violates universally recognised humanitarian principles. Taliban officials say such actions amount to a direct assault on civilians rather than legitimate military operations.

Signalling a hardening of position, Mujahid declared that there was “no more diplomacy or talks" with Pakistan and that the Taliban would instead seek retaliation. He said the regime would avenge those killed in the strikes and warned that continued attacks would have consequences. The statement reflects a sharp escalation in rhetoric from Kabul amid rising tensions between the two sides.

Pakistan, however, has presented a very different account of the operation. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan’s armed forces carried out precision airstrikes on the night of 16 March as part of an operation named Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. He stated that the mission targeted terrorism-sponsoring military installations of the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul and Nangarhar.

According to security sources, Pakistani jets destroyed technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities at two locations in Kabul. In Nangarhar, strikes were carried out on four separate locations linked to Taliban military installations. Logistics hubs, ammunition depots and technical infrastructure adjacent to these installations were also destroyed during the operation.

Sources further said that a drone assembly workshop — described as a headquarters from where drones were dispatched — was among the facilities hit. Weapon stockpiles in both Kabul and Nangarhar were also destroyed. In total, six targets were successfully engaged across the two regions, security sources claimed. They added that there were reports of several terrorists being killed during the strikes.

The Afghan Taliban has rejected Pakistan’s version of events, maintaining that civilian sites were hit and sovereignty was breached. Taliban officials insist that the attacks represent unlawful military aggression and have vowed revenge for those killed, whom they described as martyrs.

With sharply conflicting narratives from Islamabad and Kabul, the situation marks a serious escalation in tensions. Pakistan maintains the strikes were precise counter-terror operations, while the Taliban portrays them as deliberate attacks on civilians and humanitarian facilities.

News world 'No More Talks': Taliban Vows Retaliation, Says Pakistan 'Deliberately Targeted' Afghan Civilians

Read More