11 children among 13 killed as Pakistan strikes Afghan homes, says Taliban

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration on Wednesday accused Pakistan of carrying out overnight air strikes inside Afghan territory, claiming the attacks killed at least 13 people, including 11 children, and left 14 others injured.

The latest allegations come amid worsening tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, with cross-border violence and mutual accusations continuing to strain relations between the two neighbours. Taliban officials described the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and said civilian areas were targeted during the operation.

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According to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, Pakistani forces carried out air strikes on residential houses in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Khost and Paktika during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mujahid said those killed included 11 children, one woman and one elderly man. He further claimed that 14 women were wounded in the strikes. The Taliban spokesperson also shared photographs that he said showed the aftermath of the attacks and the casualties.

Taliban accuses Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace

In a statement, Mujahid alleged that Pakistani military aircraft entered Afghan airspace before launching attacks on civilian targets. He described the operation as an act of aggression and accused Islamabad of targeting non-military locations.

Pakistan has not immediately responded to the Taliban’s allegations.

Cross-border tensions have deepened over the past year

The Taliban administration said Pakistani military operations inside Afghanistan have resulted in significant casualties over the past year as hostilities along the border intensified.

The statement also referred to an alleged Pakistani strike on a rehabilitation centre in Kabul in March, which Taliban authorities claimed killed at least 269 people.

According to the Taliban, tensions escalated sharply in October 2025 when Pakistan conducted air strikes in multiple locations across Afghanistan, including Kabul. Afghan authorities have maintained that repeated military actions have displaced large numbers of civilians and forced many families to leave their homes.

Pakistan-Taliban ties under strain

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), to operate from Afghan soil. Islamabad has argued that such groups are responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.

The Taliban has consistently denied Pakistan’s accusations, maintaining that Kabul is not responsible for Islamabad’s security problems and should not be blamed for militant violence inside Pakistan.