Pakistan alleged to have struck civilian homes in three Afghan provinces, killing 13
Taliban officials have alleged that Pakistani military aircraft struck civilian homes overnight in Afghanistan's Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces, killing at least 13 people. The dead were said to include 11 children, one woman and one elderly man. The allegations point to a fresh cross-border escalation between the two neighbours, with no immediate response or confirmation from Pakistan.
Sponsored
Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes violated Afghan airspace and hit homes in the three eastern and south-eastern provinces. In the account he gave, 14 other women were also affected, although the supporting material does not make clear whether they were injured. The reported attacks were described as taking place overnight, but the exact timing and locations of the individual strikes have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
The reported deaths add to a period of sustained violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan that has already claimed hundreds of lives since late February, according to the supporting material. That earlier phase of fighting began after Afghanistan launched a cross-border strike into Pakistan, saying it was retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory. The latest allegations therefore sit within a wider cycle of attack and reprisal that has repeatedly raised tensions along the frontier.
The issue matters because it involves civilian casualties in a dispute that has direct security implications for both countries. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Kabul has consistently rejected those accusations, and the latest claims, if confirmed, would deepen an already fragile relationship between the two governments.
Sponsored
The supporting material says the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of US-led forces, and that the TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban even though it is considered an ally of the movement. That distinction has been central to Pakistan's complaints about cross-border militancy. It also helps explain why airspace violations and retaliatory strikes have become such a sensitive issue, with each side accusing the other of fuelling instability.
What remains unclear is whether Pakistan carried out the strikes as alleged, what targets were hit, and whether the reported toll will be revised as more information emerges. There is also no confirmed account in the supplied material of any Pakistani statement, military explanation or Afghan response beyond the Taliban allegations. The next developments to watch are any official confirmation, casualty updates, and whether the incident triggers further retaliation or diplomatic contact.
Sponsored
