Pakistan airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 12 civilians, including children

Pakistani military aircraft bombed civilian homes in Afghanistan’s Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces, killing at least 12 people – 11 children, one woman and an elderly man – and wounding many more. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X, "Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika." In Spera district, a house strike killed nine people and injured ten; in Barmal district of Paktika, a separate attack killed three civilians, all children.

Pakistan also reported that a border operation targeting Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts killed 26 militants, destroying training centres and ammunition caches. The strikes come amid escalating tensions since a flare‑up in February, with a United Nations report noting 372 Afghan civilians killed and 397 wounded in the first three months of the conflict. Relations between the two neighbours remain strained, with the border largely closed since October.

Both governments dispute the targeting of civilians, with Pakistan insisting its strikes are aimed at militants responsible for attacks on its territory.