Taliban accuses Pakistan of humanitarian crime after air strikes kill 13 in border provinces
The Afghan Taliban government has condemned late-night air strikes as an act of aggression, reporting that 11 children were among the dead. Islamabad has not yet issued a statement regarding the raids, which occurred one day after suspected TTP fighters killed six Pakistani security personnel.
Afghanistan has accused Pakistan’s military of conducting air strikes on the border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, resulting in the deaths of at least 13 people. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, identified the victims as 11 children, one woman, and an elderly man, with a further 14 women and children wounded in the attacks.
Mujahid described the incidents as a "humanitarian crime" and an "act of aggression" in a post on X. Local officials confirmed casualties in the Spera district of Khost and the Barmal district of Paktika. An official in Khost told the AFP news agency that a house in Spera was struck, killing nine people and injuring 10 others, while residents in Paktika reported that a separate raid on a home killed three civilians, identified as children.
The air raids occurred late on Tuesday, marking the deadliest incident in weeks and following a period of relative calm at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan regarding these specific strikes. Islamabad has previously justified air operations in Afghanistan by stating they targeted fighters from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The timing of the raids follows a significant escalation in violence one day prior, when suspected TTP fighters attacked a security post in the Hasan Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The cross-border attack triggered an intense gun battle that resulted in the deaths of six members of Pakistan’s Federal Constabulary, a federal paramilitary force, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Relations between the two nations have remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Fighting escalated sharply in late February 2026 after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack in retaliation for previous Pakistani strikes. A fragile ceasefire reached in March collapsed after both sides accused each other of violations.
Pakistan continues to accuse the Afghan government of harbouring TTP fighters responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies while accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty. The United Nations reported in May that cross-border fighting had killed at least 372 Afghan civilians and injured 397 in the first three months of 2026.
