Daijiworld Media Network – Kabul
Kabul, Jun 10: Pakistan carried out fresh air strikes in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 13 civilians, according to Taliban authorities, in a development that marks a further escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Taliban chief spokesperson and Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes targeted the provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika.
According to Mujahid, the victims included 11 children, one woman and one elderly man.
“As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed,” Mujahid said in a post on X.
He condemned the strikes, describing them as a “humanitarian crime and act of aggression”.
Local officials and residents also reported civilian casualties in the affected areas.
A local official in Khost province told AFP that an air strike hit a house in the Spera district, killing nine people and injuring 10 others.
In neighbouring Paktika province, residents said another strike in the Barmal district killed three civilians. One resident claimed the attack targeted a home and that the victims were children.
There was no immediate confirmation or response from Pakistan regarding the reported military action.
The reported strikes came a day after India criticised Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council over air operations in Afghanistan that allegedly resulted in significant civilian casualties.
Earlier, on May 21, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Harish Parvathaneni, had accused Pakistan of carrying out cross-border actions in Afghanistan that caused hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries.
The latest incidents are expected to draw renewed international attention to the worsening security situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
According to a United Nations report, at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 others injured in conflict-related violence during the first three months of this year.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan have remained tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to act against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that Pakistan considers a major security threat.
Taliban authorities, however, have accused Pakistan of supporting groups involved in activities against Afghan interests and sovereignty.
Ties between the two countries deteriorated further following a series of explosions in Kabul in October 2025, with both sides exchanging accusations over security failures and cross-border militancy.
The latest air strikes add to growing tensions between the neighbours, underscoring the fragile state of relations and the continuing security challenges in the region.