Pakistani Airstrikes Kill Civilians in Afghanistan, Fuel Border Tensions

The United Nations reported that airstrikes carried out by Pakistan inside Afghanistan killed 13 civilians, including children, and injured 14 others. The strikes occurred amid a series of border skirmishes that have escalated into direct military engagements between Pakistani forces and the Taliban.

Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Istanbul on June 8‑9 for the second round of a Track 1.5 dialogue organized by the Turkish humanitarian group IHH, with Turkey and Qatar facilitating. Organisers described the meeting as constructive, but the talks were overtaken by the recent Pakistani airstrikes, which prompted retaliatory artillery fire from Taliban positions along the Durand Line. Analysts note that the incident reflects a broader reversal of Pakistan’s historic patronage of the Taliban, now turning into open conflict, and adds to Pakistan’s internal security challenges in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan‑occupied Jammu and Kashmir.