Afghanistan has accused the Pakistani military of conducting airstrikes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, killing at least 13 people, most of them children. This marks the deadliest such attack in weeks, following a period of relative calm along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Taliban administration chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X that the victims included 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man. He added that 14 other women and children were wounded. “We strongly condemn this humanitarian crime and act of aggression,” he said.
Pakistan has not immediately commented on the airstrikes. Islamabad has previously acknowledged carrying out strikes in Afghanistan, targeting militants from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
An official in Khost province said a home in the Spera district was struck, killing nine and wounding ten others. In neighboring Paktika province, two residents said a separate attack killed three civilians in the Barmal district. The airstrike hit a house, and those killed were children, one resident said.
The airstrikes come a day after suspected TTP militants attacked a security post in the Hasan Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan. The attack triggered a heavy gunfight, leaving six members of the Pakistan Federal Police dead and several others wounded, according to Pakistan's Interior Ministry.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Cross-border clashes escalated sharply in late February after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, particularly the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Meanwhile, Afghan officials reject the allegation, countering that Pakistan sponsors hostile groups and does not respect Afghan sovereignty.
The United Nations reported in May that cross-border clashes had killed at least 372 Afghan civilians and wounded 397 others in the first three months of 2026. A fragile ceasefire reached in March collapsed after both sides accused each other of violations.
