Taliban: Pakistani strikes kill 10, including 9 children, in Afghan border raids
Taliban: Pakistani strikes kill 10, including 9 children, in Afghan border raids
A Taliban spokesman says Pakistani air raids killed 10 people, nine of them children, in Afghanistan's border region as tensions spike after a Peshawar attack.
A Taliban government spokesperson says Pakistani air strikes killed 10 people, including nine children, in Afghanistan’s border region around Khost province. The claim, shared on X, says the raid struck the house of a local civilian resident, leading to the deaths of five boys, four girls, and one woman, with four additional civilians wounded in strikes across Kunar and Paktika provinces. No independent confirmation has been provided, and officials in Pakistan have not commented on the Taliban account. The report underscores the fragile, cross-border nature of the current security situation along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier.
The strikes came a day after a suicide attack targeted the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary Federal Constabulary in Peshawar, killing three officers and wounding 11 others. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, Pakistan’s leadership has long blamed the Afghan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for cross-border violence, accusing it of sheltering militants on Afghan soil. Islamabad has pressed the Taliban government in Kabul to curb militant activity along the border, a point of friction since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The reported casualties in Khost’s border region, if confirmed, would mark another deadly episode in a pattern of cross-border clashes that have flared anew after a recent spike in violence. Pakistan has previously described such strikes as legitimate counterterrorism actions against militants operating from Afghan territory, while Afghan authorities and the Taliban have at times condemned or limited disclosure about cross-border raids. The absence of a formal statement from Islamabad fuels uncertainty about who carried out the latest attacks and why, at a moment when tensions are already elevated by the Peshawar assault and ongoing militant activity near the frontier.
Observers say the fighting risks drawing civilian communities into a dangerous cycle of retaliation, with humanitarian concerns rising as families in border districts contend with the immediate danger of air strikes and the long-term impact on relocation, livelihoods, and access to services. The international community has urged restraint and renewed diplomatic talks to address security concerns without harming civilians. For now, the region remains volatile, with residents waiting for clearer information and a concrete plan to reduce the risks of further violence along the border.
Cover image source: 10 including 9 children killed in Pakistani attack in Afghan province: Taliban 🔗
