Pakistan airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 amid rising border tensions

Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, killing at least 13 people, including children, according to Taliban officials. Pakistan said it targeted militant hideouts and killed 26 fighters. The strikes followed a deadly attack on a Pakistani security post, and they have increased tensions between both countries despite a recent ceasefire.

Pakistan launched a fresh round of airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, according to Taliban authorities, in the latest escalation of a conflict that has already claimed hundreds of lives this year.
The strikes targeted areas in three Afghan provinces—Khost, Kunar, and Paktika—according to Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. In a statement posted on X, Mujahid accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan's airspace and carrying out attacks on civilian homes.
According to Taliban officials, 11 of those killed were children. Mujahid said a total of 13 people lost their lives in the airstrikes, while 14 others sustained injuries. He added that all of the injured were women and children.
The Pakistani government later confirmed that its military had conducted operations across the border but disputed the Taliban's account of the casualties. Pakistani authorities said the strikes were aimed at militant hideouts and claimed that 26 militants were killed during the operation.
Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, defended the military action, saying it was carried out in response to a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
"In the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan, precise and calibrated strikes were carried out along Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas on hideouts and safe havens," Tarar said in a statement posted on X.
While confirming the operation, Pakistani officials did not address the Taliban's allegations that civilians, including children, were among those killed.
The latest airstrikes come just days after a deadly attack on a security checkpoint in the Hasan Khel area of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which shares a border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry said suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attempted to seize the checkpoint on Tuesday, triggering a gunbattle with security forces. The clash resulted in the deaths of six personnel from the Frontier Constabulary, according to the ministry.
The renewed military action has shattered a period of relative calm along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where tensions have remained high despite efforts to ease hostilities.
Relations between the two neighboring countries deteriorated sharply earlier this year amid a rise in militant attacks inside Pakistan. In February, Islamabad declared that it was in "open war" with Kabul after blaming Afghanistan-based militants for a growing number of attacks targeting Pakistani civilians and security personnel.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of providing sanctuary to militant groups that launch cross-border attacks into Pakistani territory. The Taliban administration has consistently rejected those accusations, insisting that Pakistan's security challenges are an internal matter and not the responsibility of Afghanistan.
In an effort to reduce tensions, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in March following peace talks hosted by China. The discussions were aimed at preventing further violence and restoring stability along their shared border.
Despite those diplomatic efforts, violence has continued to take a heavy toll on civilians. A United Nations report released last month estimated that at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and another 397 wounded during the first three months of the year as a result of the ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The latest exchange of accusations and military action highlights the fragile nature of the ceasefire and raises concerns about the potential for further escalation between the two countries.