Tension has flared up once again between Pakistan and Afghanistan after a series of overnight strikes killed 10 civilians including nine children in Afghanistan’s Khost province.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of “bombing the house of a local civilian,” calling the attack a violation of Afghan sovereignty. He said the Islamic Emirate “will respond appropriately at the right time.”
Additional strikes in Kunar and Paktika reportedly injured four more civilians, with local officials stating that both drones and aircraft were involved. Residents in Jige Mughalgai, near the Pakistan border, were seen clearing debris and preparing graves for the victims.
A backdrop of escalating cross-border tensions
The latest strikes came a day after a suicide bombing targeted Pakistan’s Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, killing three officers.
Relations between the neighbours have steadily worsened since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, hitting a new low last month when clashes between their forces left about 70 people dead across both sides.
Those clashes erupted on October 11–12 after Afghanistan launched retaliatory strikes over an attack in Kabul it blamed on Pakistan.
Though a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey halted the fighting, subsequent negotiations in Doha and Istanbul stalled over Pakistan’s insistence that Kabul act against TTP militants.
Meanwhile, trade disruptions have deepened the crisis, with thousands of containers stalled at the border and businesses calling the situation “unbearable.”
