Afghanistan’s Taliban administration on Tuesday accused Pakistani armed forces of carrying out airstrikes in three provinces, saying ten civilians, including nine children and a woman, were killed when a house was bombed in southeastern Khost.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strike took place around midnight in the Gurbuz district, where he alleged Pakistani aircraft targeted the home of a resident identified as Waliat Khan.
“Last night at around 12 o’clock in the Mughalgai area of Khost’s Gorbuz district, Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a civilian, Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir. As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred, and his house was destroyed,” Mujahid said in a post on X.
He said additional strikes hit Paktika and Kunar provinces, injuring at least four civilians.
Pakistan has not commented on the allegations.
In a later statement, Mujahid called the attacks “a direct assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty” and a violation of international norms. He said the Islamic Emirate would “respond appropriately at the right time,” describing the strikes as “hostile actions driven by flawed intelligence.”
Mujahid said the latest attacks “achieve nothing” and only deepen mistrust. “Defending Afghanistan’s airspace, territory and citizens is our legitimate right,” he said.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and worsened after deadly border clashes in October that killed about 70 people on both sides. A ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye temporarily halted the fighting, but subsequent talks in Istanbul failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters responsible for a surge in attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusation and says Pakistan harbours groups hostile to Afghanistan, including Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), while carrying out cross-border strikes that violate Afghan airspace.