Pakistan launched airstrikes on Taliban hideouts in Afghanistan's Paktika province, reportedly killing at least 15 individuals, including women and children. The strikes targeted a training facility used by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group that has increasingly used Afghan soil to stage attacks against Pakistan. 

The Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the attacks as a violation of international law and vowed retaliation, asserting its right to defend its sovereignty. The strikes occurred just hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan, visited Kabul to discuss trade and diplomatic relations with Afghan officials, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The timing of the airstrikes coincided with Foreign Minister Muttaqi's visit to India, marking the first high-level diplomatic talks between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban assumed power in 2021. During his visit, Muttaqi assured India that Afghanistan would not allow any group to use its territory against any country. This assurance appears to have unsettled Pakistan, which has long accused Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch attacks across the border.