Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil overnight left at least 10 civilians dead, including nine children, according to the Taliban government, which condemned the attack early Tuesday. The strikes mark a sharp escalation in tensions between the neighboring countries as security concerns mount along the border.
Taliban Says Children Among the Dead
In a statement posted on X, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes targeted the home of a local resident in Afghanistan’s Khost province. He reported that nine children, five boys and four girls, along with one woman, were killed in the bombing.
“The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident… As a result, nine children and one woman were martyred,” Mujahid wrote.
Airstrikes also hit border areas in Kunar and Paktika provinces, wounding four additional civilians, he added, according to AFP.
Diplomatic Contacts Resume Amid Rising Tension
The deadly strikes coincided with rare high-level contact between Pakistani and Afghan officials, taking place as Pakistan faces a surge in terror attacks it says are planned from Afghan territory, an allegation the Taliban firmly deny.
Dawn reported that a Pakistani diplomat stationed in Afghanistan met with a senior Taliban provincial leader just hours after a suicide blast at the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area killed three personnel. Security forces quickly neutralized the attackers.
The meeting brought together Pakistan’s Consul General in Jalalabad, Shafqatullah Khan, and Nangarhar Governor Mullah Muhammad Naeem Akhund, their first such engagement in months.
Long-Standing Security Disputes Intensify
Islamabad has repeatedly argued that militant groups use Afghan territory to orchestrate cross-border attacks. Kabul, however, has pushed back on those claims, insisting it does not allow any group to threaten regional security.
Peshawar Attack Highlights Volatile Security Situation
The latest strikes also coincide with renewed bloodshed inside Pakistan. A deadly assault on the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar left three security personnel dead and several others wounded after a suicide bomber and gunmen stormed the compound. The attackers were killed before they could reach the parade area, preventing what authorities say could have been an even greater tragedy.
That incident followed multiple attacks across the country in recent weeks, including another suicide blast in Islamabad. For Pakistan, the growing wave of violence has only sharpened its accusations against the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad claims is not doing enough to rein in militants.
