Afghanistan says Pakistani airstrikes killed ten, mostly children.
Pakistan’s military and government offered no immediate response, staying silent on the allegation despite growing regional concern.
Kabul: Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan flared again on Tuesday after the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out a series of overnight airstrikes in three eastern Afghan provinces. According to Afghan officials, the strikes killed 10 civilians — nine of them children — marking one of the deadliest cross-border incidents in recent months.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, shared the allegations on X. He said Pakistan had “bombed” a civilian home in Khost province during the night, killing nine children and a woman from the same family. He added that similar strikes hit locations in the provinces of Kunar and Paktika as well, injuring at least four more civilians. Mujahid condemned the attacks, calling them unjustified and deeply troubling for the already fragile relations between the two neighbours.
As news of the alleged strikes spread, there was no immediate response from Pakistan’s military or government. Their silence was notable, especially given the recent rise in border tensions and the political pressure within Pakistan to respond firmly to militant threats emanating from Afghan soil. The lack of comment also follows earlier friction in October, when Afghan officials claimed that Pakistani drone strikes hit areas in Kabul — a charge Pakistan has denied.
Tuesday’s escalation came just a day after Pakistan suffered a major security breach inside its own borders. In the northwestern city of Peshawar, two suicide bombers and a gunman attacked the headquarters of the Federal Constabulary, a key paramilitary force responsible for law and order. The attackers stormed the compound early Monday morning, killing three officers and injuring 11 others in an assault that stunned the country and raised fresh concerns about militant activity.
While no group claimed responsibility for the Peshawar attack, Pakistani authorities were quick to suspect Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban. The TTP has long targeted security forces and government sites and has become a growing concern for Islamabad since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has publicly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP fighters to operate from Afghan territory and launch cross-border attacks — an allegation Kabul consistently rejects.
Just weeks earlier, clashes between the two countries had erupted along the border, leaving dozens of soldiers, civilians, and militants dead. After days of fighting and rising casualties, Qatar negotiated the ceasefire that was announced on October 19. However, since then, mistrust between Islamabad and Kabul has remained high, with both sides accusing each other of failing to control armed groups operating near the border.
The Taliban government has repeatedly stated that it does not permit Afghan territory to be used for attacks against any country, including Pakistan. Officials in Kabul insist they are trying to stabilize the country and prevent militant groups from exploiting Afghan land. But Pakistan has maintained that TTP networks remain active inside Afghanistan and that more decisive action is needed from the Taliban rulers.
The latest allegations of Pakistani airstrikes threaten to undo the fragile calm that had been restored after the Qatar-brokered ceasefire. With children among the victims and both governments already on edge, the incident risks widening a rift that neither country can easily afford. For now, Afghanistan is demanding accountability, Pakistan is silent, and the border that divides the two nations remains as volatile as ever.