Pakistan said early Sunday that it carried out cross-border strikes into Afghanistan, targeting what it described as militant hideouts responsible for recent attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan officials reported civilian casualties, with at least 18 people killed.

Pakistan did not disclose the precise locations of the strikes. However, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said areas in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika were hit, including what it described as civilian neighborhoods, a religious madrassa and several homes. The ministry condemned the operation as a violation of Afghan sovereignty and airspace.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media that dozens were killed or wounded, including women and children.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society’s provincial director in Nangarhar, Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, said at least 18 people were killed and several others injured.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps belonging to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. He added that an affiliate of the Islamic State group was also targeted.

Tarar said Pakistan remains committed to regional stability but emphasized that protecting Pakistani citizens is a top priority.

Militant violence has surged in Pakistan in recent years, with authorities blaming much of it on the TTP and banned Baloch separatist groups. The TTP is distinct from, but closely aligned with, Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Islamabad accuses the group of operating from Afghan territory — a claim denied by both the TTP and Afghan officials.

The strikes followed a suicide bombing hours earlier in Pakistan’s northwestern border district of Bannu, where a security convoy was attacked, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. After the bombing, Pakistan’s military warned it would not “exercise any restraint” and vowed to continue operations against those responsible.