In a devastating turn of events, Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday alleged that Pakistan launched an overnight airstrike in three eastern provinces, claiming 10 civilians, including nine children.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Afghan government, taking to social media X, alleged that Pakistan “bombed” the homes of a civilian in Khost province, resulting in the killing of nine children and a woman. He further claimed that additional strikes were carried out in the provinces of Kunar and Paktika, which resulted in the injury of four others.
Meanwhile, as reported by the Siasat Daily, Pakistan’s military government did not comment on the allegations of immediate effects. The comment comes a month after cross-border clashes erupted when the Afghan government claimed Pakistani drone strikes pounded over Kabul.
This fresh escalation followed a deadly attack in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar earlier in Pakistan, where two suicide bombers and a gunman reportedly stormed into the headquarters of the Federal Constabulary. In this attack, three officers were killed, and 11 others were wounded in the Monday morning attack.
Pakistan has repeatedly pressed Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to stop TTP militants from using Afghan territory to stage attacks. Kabul rejects these claims, but tensions worsened after Afghanistan accused Pakistan of carrying out the October 9 drone strikes in Kabul and threatened to respond.
The ensuing clashes resulted in dozens of military, civilian, and militant casualties before Qatar mediated a ceasefire on October 19.
Two later negotiation rounds in Istanbul failed to resolve the issue, with Pakistan stating that Afghanistan would not give a written assurance that TTP fighters would not operate from its soil.
In recent years, the Afghan government has maintained that it does not permit any group to use its territory to launch attacks on any country, including Pakistan.
