Afghan government says Pakistani strikes kill 13 near border

TLE Desk: At least 13 people, including children and a woman, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes near the Afghanistan border overnight, Afghan authorities said on Wednesday, reports AFP.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces “once again violated Afghanistan’s airspace” and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost and Paktika.

“Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan’s airspace and bombed civilian homes… As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed,” Mujahid wrote on X.

However, a local official in Khost province told AFP that a strike hit a house in Spera district, killing nine people and injuring 10 others. In neighbouring Paktika province, residents reported a separate attack that killed three people.

Pakistan’s military has not yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations.

The reported strikes are among the deadliest in recent weeks and come after a period of relative calm along the border following months of heightened tensions earlier this year.

A United Nations report published last month said at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 injured in cross-border violence in the first three months of the year.

The Afghanistan–Pakistan border has remained volatile, with repeated accusations of cross-border attacks and militant activity complicating already strained bilateral relations.