At least five people have been injured after Afghan Taliban militants reportedly shelled and targeted civilian areas near Angoor Adda in South Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), reports quoted security sources as saying.
On Wednesday, a mortar shell fired from across the border landed on a house belonging to residents Karim Khan and Rehmatullah, injuring five people, including four children and one woman. The injured children are aged 13, 10, eight and three years.
All injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana for treatment, the sources added. Locals expressed grief over the incident.
Reports quoted security sources as confirming that this was not an isolated incident, adding that three people were injured in the same area a few days earlier due to similar firing from the Afghan side.
They alleged that Afghan Taliban and affiliated elements had repeatedly targeted civilian populations. The term “Fitna al-Khawarij” is used by the state for militants linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Pakistan Army responded by targeting firing positions using light and heavy weaponry, forcing Afghan Taliban fighters to withdraw from their posts.
The latest incident came hours after security forces launched retaliatory action under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq following what officials described as unprovoked cross-border aggression.
According to sources, Pakistani forces carried out strikes in the Chaman sector, targeting multiple Afghan posts and vehicles. Earlier strikes reportedly hit locations including Ariana Complex, Dabgai check post, police headquarters and Zakarkhel post.
Security sources also said that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeted positions in Laghman province, including an arms depot, ABF battalion headquarters and the Nangarhar brigade. A post in the Mohmand sector was also destroyed, they added.
Officials maintained that only military targets were struck in accordance with international law.
On April 15, three civilians, including two children, were killed and three others injured in similar cross-border firing in Bajaur district, according to state media.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained high following a series of border clashes in recent months.
Earlier military operations were launched in response to militant attacks and cross-border fire, including incidents that followed Pakistani air strikes on militant positions inside Afghanistan.
Islamabad has repeatedly said that TTP leadership operates from Afghan soil, a claim denied by Kabul.
Border tensions escalated further after explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year, followed by cross-border exchanges that led to casualties and closure of trade routes in October 2025.
Security sources said that Operation Ghazab lil-Haq will continue until all objectives are achieved. They added that Pakistan’s security forces remain fully prepared to respond to any further cross-border aggression.
