Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have sharply escalated after the Afghan Taliban government accused Pakistani forces of conducting airstrikes in Khost and Paktika provinces that killed at least nine children and one woman.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said late Sunday that Pakistani aircraft and drones struck several locations in Khost’s Sperah district and parts of Paktika province, which border Pakistan. He described the attacks as “a blatant violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a clear breach of all internationally accepted norms.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the deaths of ten civilians, including nine children, and stated that several others were wounded. No militant casualties were acknowledged in the official Afghan statement.
Pakistan has not officially commented on the latest strikes, but Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing safe haven to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separatist group blamed for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
In recent weeks, Pakistani officials have claimed that TTP leaders and fighters operate from Afghan soil with the tacit support or inability of the Taliban authorities to rein them in. Similar cross-border artillery and airstrikes have been reported throughout 2025, marking the worst deterioration in bilateral relations since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Diplomatic channels between Kabul and Islamabad have been largely frozen since March 2025, when Pakistan expelled hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghan refugees and imposed stricter visa regulations.
