Pakistan airstrikes kill 10 civilians inside Afghanistan; Nine children among dead

Pakistan launched late-night airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least ten civilians; nine of them children- according to the Taliban administration. The strikes were reported from Khost, Kandahar, and Paktika provinces.

 

 

In an official statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said:

 

 

“Last night, around 12 o’clock, Pakistani invading forces carried out a bombing on the home of a local resident, Wilayat Khan son of Qazi Mir, in the Mughalgay area of Gerbaz district in Khost province, as a result of which 9 children (5 boys and 4 girls) and one woman were martyred, and his home was destroyed. Aerial attacks also took place in Kandahar and Paktika, in which 4 civilians were injured,” Spokesman of Afghanistan Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid shared in a post on X.

 

 

The airstrikes came just hours after Pakistan faced an attack at home. Gunmen stormed the Frontier Constabulary (FC) headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area, a sensitive security zone near the military cantonment. Three security personnel were killed in the attack, and more than 11 got injured, news agencies reported.

 

 

Earlier this month, another suicide bombing in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed 12 people. A splinter group of the Pakistan Taliban took responsibility for the attack.

 

 

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense ever since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan says the Taliban are giving shelter to terrorist groups, including the TTP, which has carried out deadly attacks in Pakistan for many years.

 

 

But Kabul rejects this and says Pakistan itself protects groups that are against Afghanistan and does not respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

 

 

This fresh violence comes after several rounds of talks last month failed to calm the growing border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government. In recent months, relations have kept getting worse, with both sides blaming each other for increasing the attacks.