Cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan have flared once again, with Afghan officials confirming that a new round of airstrikes launched by Pakistan left at least 13 people dead and 14 others injured this Wednesday. The strikes hit three eastern Afghan provinces: Khost, Kunar and Paktika, according to a statement from Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesperson for the ruling Taliban administration. Among the casualties confirmed by Mujahid were 11 children, one adult woman and one elderly man, marking a heavy toll on civilian communities in the border region.
As of Wednesday, Pakistani authorities had not issued any immediate public confirmation or response to the claims of the airstrikes.
The latest escalation comes against a backdrop of months of sustained deadly conflict between the two neighboring nations, a crisis that erupted in late February and has already claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. The current cycle of violence traces back to a cross-border assault carried out by Afghan forces, which was launched in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory.
At the core of the long-running dispute is Pakistan’s repeated allegation that the Afghan Taliban administration allows anti-Pakistan militant groups to operate from Afghan soil. Islamabad specifically points to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, as the main threat. The TTP is a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban that rules Afghanistan, but maintains close ideological and operational alliances with the Kabul-based government. The Afghan Taliban seized full control of Afghanistan in 2021, coinciding with the chaotic final withdrawal of U.S.-led international military forces after two decades of intervention. The Taliban government in Kabul has consistently denied Pakistan’s accusation that it harbors militant groups targeting Pakistan.