Pakistan Launches New Airstrikes in Afghanistan, Killing 13 Including 11 Children, Taliban Claims]

Pakistan Launches New Airstrikes in Afghanistan, Killing 13 Including 11 Children, Taliban Claims]

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan reported that Pakistan launched new airstrikes on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others in the latest escalation between the two nations.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the attacks targeted the provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika, resulting in the deaths of 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man.

Pakistan has not yet acknowledged the strikes.

The violence follows a deadly cross-border clash the previous day, when suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security post in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry reported that six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded in the confrontation.

Local authorities said the security forces killed eight attackers and repelled the assault. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who attended funeral prayers for the fallen personnel in Peshawar, paid tribute to the dead and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to combating militancy.

The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has intensified since late February, when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan had declared “open war” that month following a surge in militant attacks on civilian and security targets.

Afghanistan previously accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in March that struck a drug treatment center in Kabul, killing over 400 people — claims that remain unverified and which Pakistan disputes, asserting it targeted an ammunition depot instead.

Beijing-mediated peace talks in February had resulted in a commitment from both sides to avoid escalation, though the recent hostilities signal a breakdown in de-escalation efforts. Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan of harboring the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), allegations Kabul denies.

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