In fresh flare-up, Afghanistan says 13 killed as Pakistan forces target ‘civilian homes’ in 3 provinces

The Taliban administration’s chief spokesman says Pakistani aircraft struck targets in Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces. Among those killed were 11 children, 1 woman and an elderly man.

Representational image. | Reuters

New Delhi: Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Wednesday accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes across eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people, including 11 children, and wounding 14 others. 

Taliban administration’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft struck targets in the provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika. Among those killed were 11 children, one woman and an elderly man, he said. 

In a message in Pashto on X, Mujahid wrote: “Last night, the invading Pakistani army once again violated Afghan territory, bombing civilian homes in Kunar, Khost, and Paktika provinces.”

Pakistan has not made any official statement yet. 

The attacks came a day after Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants launched an assault on a Pakistani security checkpoint in the Hasan Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, near the Afghan border. 

Pakistani authorities said six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded in the ensuing firefight.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later attended funeral prayers for the slain personnel in Peshawar.

Since February, the two countries have engaged in a series of cross-border military actions that have resulted in deaths on both sides, raising fears of a broader conflict.

Pakistan declared in February that it was effectively in a state of open war with Afghanistan following a surge in militant attacks inside its territory. Islamabad has also repeatedly accused Kabul of providing sanctuary to TTP fighters, who Pakistan says are responsible for deadly attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces. Afghan authorities have consistently denied those allegations.

Tensions intensified further in March when Afghanistan accused Pakistan of conducting an airstrike on a drug-treatment center in Kabul, claiming more than 400 people were killed. Pakistan rejected the allegation, insisting that its forces targeted an ammunition depot and did not strike civilian facilities. 

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رئیس جمهور پیشین، ضمن ابراز غمشریکی با خانواده‌ های شهدا، بار دیگر اعلام میدارد که پاکستان با عواقب سیاست‌های…

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Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have so far yielded little progress. In April, China hosted talks between Pakistani and Afghan officials in Urumqi, where both sides reportedly agreed to avoid further escalation and seek a political resolution to their disputes. Yet violence has continued. 

In May, at least three people were reportedly killed and 14 others injured in strikes on the Dangam district in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, according to the Taliban regime.

Taliban district officials said that two schools, a clinic, and two mosques were destroyed in Pakistan’s attack, Afghanistan International reported. 

Reacting to the latest attacks, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai criticised Pakistan policies and “hostile actions” in the region.

“Pakistan is grappling with the consequences of its ill-considered policies and hostile actions in the region, and it must realize that it will not achieve its goals by persisting with and pursuing those policies. Pakistan’s best interest lies in abandoning its policy of war and destruction toward Afghanistan and instead choosing good neighborliness and civilized relations,” he wrote on X. 

Meanwhile, amid the flare up, India Tuesday reiterated its support for peace and development in Afghanistan. At a weekly briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stressed on the historical and civilisational ties between the two countries and reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to Afghanistan’s stability.

Referring to India’s remarks at a recent United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan briefing, he said India continued to support Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance and development programs, including food security initiatives, medical aid and pharmaceutical support.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)