Pakistani airstrikes struck targets in eastern Afghanistan early Monday, killing at least three people according to Afghan officials. The action came in response to a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan that authorities there attribute to groups operating from Afghan territory.

Afghan Taliban officials reported that the strikes hit a house in Kunar province's Nurgal district around 3 a.m. local time, destroying the home and killing three members of one family while injuring four others. Additional strikes in Paktika province's Barmal district damaged a shop and an unoccupied house but caused no casualties, the officials said. Kabul described the targets as civilian areas and condemned the action as aggression.

Pakistan's information ministry stated that the airstrikes hit three militant targets and killed 28 terrorists and suicide bombers. Islamabad has long accused Afghanistan of harboring members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied groups responsible for deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces and civilians. Recent incidents included two Islamist militant attacks, one of which an Al-Qaeda-linked group claimed and which killed 24 people.

The strikes mark the first reported cross-border action between the neighbors in nearly three months following earlier clashes earlier this year. Pakistani officials have warned that they possess both the will and capability to eliminate threats wherever they originate. Afghan spokesmen vowed an appropriate response.

Tensions along the border have persisted since the Taliban takeover in Kabul in 2021, with Pakistan facing repeated attacks from militants it says enjoy safe havens across the frontier. The latest operation underscores ongoing efforts by Pakistani forces to disrupt those networks.