KABUL/ISLAMABAD – At least four people were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military across three Afghan provinces on Thursday, the Afghan government said.

The strikes hit southern Kandahar province as well as the eastern provinces of Paktia and Khost, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan says hit by Pakistani airstrikes

Describing the attacks as "brutal aggression," Mujahid said that "these shameless acts of aggression and attacks by the Pakistani military regime will be met with an appropriate response through a decisive stance."

Mujahid said that Pakistani forces carried out an attack at around 3 am local time in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, adding that the strike hit a desert area in Kandahar's ninth district, and no casualties or property damage had been reported so far, TOLOnews reported. 

Pakistan: Strikes an exercise of self-defense 

In Islamabad, Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said Thursday morning that Pakistan conducted "precision aerial and drone strikes" on 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing drones, in an exercise of self-defense.

Pakistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones on Sept 23, Tarar said in a post on X.

READ MORE: Afghanistan says it carried out airstrikes in Pakistan

Pakistan's air defense systems detected, tracked and neutralized all the intruding platforms before they could reach their intended targets, he added.

The strikes were strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan, Tarar said.

Tarar urged Afghanistan to ensure that "Afghan territory must not be used to launch attacks or conduct hostile operations against Pakistan."