Taliban government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X that the strikes, conducted overnight in three eastern Afghan provinces, resulted in the deaths of 36 civilians and injuries to 163 others.

“The attacks carried out last night resulted in the martyrdom of 36 civilians, including women and children, while 163 others sustained injuries,” Fitrat said.

Pakistan’s military said on Sunday it had conducted a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, followed by what officials described as “calibrated strikes” against militant hideouts and safe havens.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was launched in response to a series of militant attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan authorities did not immediately comment on Pakistan’s account of the operation.

The latest military action followed an attack on Saturday in the southern port city of Karachi, where militants armed with firearms and explosives targeted the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers, killing three soldiers. Pakistani security forces said they killed three attackers and arrested another suspected militant, whom the military identified as an injured Afghan national.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the Karachi assault.

Pakistani authorities have blamed the TTP and allied militant groups for a sharp increase in attacks on security forces in recent years. Islamabad maintains that the Afghan Taliban government provides sanctuary to militants who launch attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Sunday’s operation came less than three weeks after Pakistan launched airstrikes against what it described as militant positions inside Afghanistan, ending a brief period of relative calm between the two countries.

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated following months of cross-border military exchanges. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in fighting since February, despite multiple rounds of internationally mediated peace talks and diplomatic efforts, including talks hosted by China in April, aimed at preventing further escalation.

The latest strikes are expected to place additional strain on already fragile relations between the two neighboring countries as both sides continue to exchange accusations over cross-border militancy and security.