Afghan authorities have formally accused Pakistani military forces of conducting artillery strikes on civilian areas near Asadabad in eastern Kunar Province this Sunday. The alleged assault resulted in one confirmed fatality and over a dozen injuries, predominantly affecting women and children according to preliminary assessments.
This incident represents the latest escalation in intensifying cross-border hostilities that began in late February, marking the most severe bilateral conflict between the neighboring nations in decades. The confrontation stems from Pakistan’s persistent allegations that Afghanistan provides sanctuary to militant groups operating against Pakistani interests, particularly the Pakistani Taliban—a distinct entity allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government. Kabul consistently denies these accusations.
Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat documented the attack through social media platform X, sharing photographic evidence of wounded children and detailing the use of mortars and heavy weaponry against rural communities. Pakistan has not issued an immediate response to these specific allegations.
The conflict has previously involved cross-border skirmishes and aerial bombardments, including a controversial airstrike earlier this month that Afghanistan claims struck a Kabul drug treatment facility, allegedly resulting in hundreds of casualties—a figure currently under United Nations verification. Pakistan maintains it targets militant infrastructure exclusively.
International concern grows as the region hosts multiple active militant organizations including al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates. Recent diplomatic efforts by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar secured a temporary Eid al-Fitr truce last week, but hostilities resumed following the ceasefire’s expiration, with two additional civilian casualties reported Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan.
This renewed violence undermines previous mediation attempts, including an October Qatar-brokered ceasefire that had temporarily reduced clashes, and follows unsuccessful long-term peace negotiations held in Istanbul last November.