Taliban said on Wednesday that Pakistani military aircraft carried out overnight strikes in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 “civilians” and wounding 14 others in the provinces of Kunar, Khost and Paktika.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that the victims included 11 children, one woman and one elderly man. He accused Pakistan of targeting civilian homes and condemned the attacks as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“Residential houses were targeted,” Mujahid said, describing the strikes as a “crime.”
Pakistan had not publicly commented on the airstrikes.
The reported attacks come after several weeks without major publicly reported Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan and follow the latest round of talks between Taliban and Pakistani officials in Urumqi, China, which ended without a breakthrough. China, which hosted the discussions, has urged both sides to continue dialogue.
Relations between Taliban and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated since late February, when border clashes and airstrikes escalated into the most serious confrontation between the two sides since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly said the Taliban have allowed TTP militants to operate from Afghanistan’s territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan. Taliban have rejected the accusations, saying they do not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against other countries.
The United Nations reported last month that fighting between Pakistan and Taliban between late January and March caused 764 civilian casualties, including 372 deaths and 392 injuries. Many of the casualties were linked to airstrikes and cross-border shelling.
The deadliest incident of the conflict occurred in March, when a Pakistani airstrike struck the Omid rehabilitation center in Kabul. The United Nations later reported at least 269 deaths and 122 injuries, while Taliban authorities put the toll significantly higher. Pakistan denied targeting civilian infrastructure and said its operations were aimed at militant and military targets.
Pakistan has defended previous strikes inside Afghanistan as intelligence-based operations against militant hideouts, particularly those linked to TTP. Taliban have consistently rejected those claims and described the attacks as violations of international law and Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
The latest reported strikes are likely to raise fresh concerns about a renewed cycle of retaliation between the two sides, whose relations remain strained despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
