Pakistani Airstrikes in Afghanistan Leave 13 Dead, Taliban Official Confirms

KABUL, Jun 10: At least 13 people, including 11 children, were killed and 14 others injured after Pakistani aircraft carried out strikes in eastern Afghanistan, Taliban authorities said on Wednesday, marking a new escalation in the prolonged conflict between the two neighboring countries.

Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit the provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika, claiming the victims included 11 children, a woman and an elderly man. Pakistan had not officially commented on the allegations at the time of reporting.

The latest incident follows a deadly militant assault on a security post in Hasan Khel in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday. According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded during the attack.

Security forces later repelled the assault, killing eight militants and preventing them from overrunning the checkpoint, local authorities said. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi attended funeral prayers for the slain personnel in Peshawar and vowed intensified operations against militant groups threatening national security.

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have remained strained for months, with both sides accusing each other of provoking cross-border violence. The current cycle of hostilities intensified earlier this year after retaliatory military actions along the frontier.

Despite diplomatic efforts, including China-brokered talks in Urumqi aimed at reducing tensions, clashes and security incidents have continued to undermine efforts to stabilize relations.

Pakistan maintains that militants, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operate from Afghan territory and carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Afghan authorities reject the allegation, insisting they do not allow their soil to be used against any neighboring country.

The TTP, while distinct from Afghanistan’s Taliban administration, is considered an allied militant group and has been linked to a series of deadly attacks targeting Pakistani security forces in recent years.