By The South Asia Times

Islamabad/Kabul - Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated sharply after the Pakistan Air Force carried out airstrikes in three Afghan provinces late Saturday night.

The intelligence-led operation, which Pakistani officials described as a “measured response” to a recent surge in cross-border attacks, targeted what they said were militant camps and facilities in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika provinces.

A senior Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, provided The South Asia Times with a detailed list of 42 militants he said were killed in the strikes.

According to the official, the operation hit multiple locations, including camps in the Khogyani, Ghani Khel, and Behsud districts of Nangarhar; facilities in border areas of Khost province allegedly linked to the Haqqani Network; and the so-called “Camp Al-Jihad” in the Barmal district of Paktika province.

The list of those killed includes individuals said to be affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), with origins across Pakistan’s former tribal areas and other provinces.

Nangarhar Province (Khogyani, Ghani Khel, Behsud)

Nek Muhammad, son of Hamid — Panjwai, Kandahar
Ahmad, son of Muhammad — Mingora, Swat
Fazal Ahmad, son of Rahmat — Kalam, Swat
Nasir, son of Karim — Barmal, Khyber
Habib, son of Wali — Miranshah, North Waziristan
Shafiq, son of Naimat — Daklan, Bahawalpur
Sami, son of Nadir — Sangla, Dera Ghazi Khan
Karim, son of Hamid — Bannu, Khyber
Rafiq, son of Abdullah — Kala, Swat
Naimat, son of Farid — Dhakki, North Waziristan
Yasar, son of Rahmat — Miranshah, North Waziristan

Khost Province (Border Areas)

Bilal Khan, son of Muhammad Khan — Sheran, Swat
Asadullah, son of Karimullah — Gharmiyan, Khyber
Tahir Hussain, son of Qadir Hussain — Pashmak, Mianwali
Shoaib Ahmad, son of Rahmat Ahmad — Noorabad, North Waziristan
Fayyaz Khan, son of Jan Muhammad — Bedar, Upper Dir
Noman Ahmad, son of Saleem Ahmad — Sabzwar, Khyber
Rahmatullah, son of Ghulamullah — Khushwal, Paktika
Arif Khan, son of Syed Khan — Barmal, Nangarhar
Farooq Ahmad, son of Bashir Ahmad — Kapisa

Paktika Province (Camp Al-Jihad, Barmal District)

Ahmad Khan, son of Muhammad — Bala Hisar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Zahidullah, son of Karimullah — Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Imran Gul, son of Saeed Gul — South Waziristan
Hidayatullah, son of Noor Muhammad — Bajaur District
Saifullah, son of Rahimullah — Mohmand District
Abdul Basit, son of Khalid — Quetta, Balochistan
Sajid Khan, son of Alam Khan — Lakki Marwat
Wali Rehman, son of Noor Rehman — Kurram District
Umar Farooq, son of Jalaluddin — Zhob, Balochistan
Bashir Ahmad, son of Ismail — Dasht Shor, Balochistan
Qari Abdullah, son of Hafiz Karim — North Waziristan
Matiullah, son of Ghulam Rasool — Dera Ismail Khan
Shakirullah, son of Rahman Gul — Orakzai District
Irfanullah, son of Mehboob — Hangu District
Latif Khan, son of Shahid Khan — Charsadda
Zubair Ahmad, son of Rahat — Swabi
Hameedullah, son of Shamsuddin — Pishin, Balochistan
Qasim Ali, son of Noor Ali — Kohat
Adnan Khan, son of Safdar — Buner
Tariq Mehmood, son of Bashir — Mardan
Jalal Khan, son of Dost Muhammad — Kharan, Balochistan
Bashir Ahmad, son of Ismail — Dasht Shor, Balochistan

The South Asia Times cross-checked several names from Lower Dir and Khyber districts with local residents, who confirmed that some of the individuals had been living in Afghanistan for years.

Pakistan has long accused the TTP of using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan -- allegations the Afghan Taliban authorities consistently deny.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Defense Ministry confirmed that strikes took place late Saturday night in the Barmal and Urgun districts of Paktika, as well as in Khogyani, Behsud, and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar province.

However, the ministry denied that TTP hideouts were targeted and claimed that civilians were hit in the strikes. It warned that it would deliver a “necessary and measured response at the appropriate time.”

Afghan state media only aired videos from a single location in Behsud district, showing a house reduced to rubble. Taliban claimed that 17 members of the same family were killed. No footage from the other reported strike sites has been broadcast on official Afghan media.

Residents in Paktika, Khost, and Nangarhar told The South Asia Times that Taliban forces had cordoned off several areas and were not allowing civilians to enter or record videos.

“Early this morning, we went to Barmal to assist in rescue efforts, but Taliban soldiers stopped us and said only officials were allowed inside,” one resident said on condition of anonymity.

Residents in Khost and Khogyani also reported being barred from approaching the sites until bodies had been removed.

“I saw more than 20 vehicles early in the morning transporting bodies from the area,” a resident in Khogyani said. “Pakistani Taliban members have been living here with their families for several years.”

- Tensions Escalate

The airstrikes mark a significant escalation in already strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

Pakistani officials said the operation followed a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at an Imam Bargah in Islamabad and assaults in Bajaur and Bannu, which authorities blamed on TTP elements operating from Afghan soil.

“The safety and security of the people of Pakistan comes first,” a Pakistani official said, reiterating demands that Afghan authorities prevent militant groups from using their territory against neighboring countries.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes, accusing Pakistan of attempting to “cover up its internal security failures.”

Security analysts warn that the combination of recent suicide attacks inside Pakistan and cross-border airstrikes could further destabilize the region, raising fears of retaliatory attacks and continued military escalation along the border in the coming days.