Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan overnight killed at least nine children and a woman, said Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday. Mujahid said that Pakistani forces bombed the house last night in the Mughalgai area of Gurbuz district in Khost.
In a post on X, the spokesperson said, "Last night at around 12 o'clock in the Gorbuz district of Khost province, in the Mughalgai area, the Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident, Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir. As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred, and his house was destroyed."
Mujahid said Pakistan also carried out strikes in the provinces of Kunar and Paktika, injuring four civilians. "Air strikes also occurred in Kunar and Paktika, where four civilians were injured," he added.
Pakistan-Afghanistan tension
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have persisted for months, marked by cross-border strikes and rising distrust. In October, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghan border regions, killing three Afghan cricketers. Afghan authorities alleged that civilians, including children, were also among the victims. Pakistan later carried out strikes in Kabul as well, prompting a retaliatory response from Afghanistan. Although the two sides have held discussions on a possible ceasefire, Pakistan's operations have continued unabated.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has faced a surge in attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering TTP militants and allowing them to operate from Afghan soil—claims that Kabul firmly denies, insisting that Afghanistan is not being used to target any other country.
Hostility between the two neighbours is not new. Soon after Pakistan's creation, tensions erupted over Kabul’s demand for an independent "Pashtunistan." In 1949, Pakistan bombed tribal settlements inside Afghanistan, triggering several border clashes between 1949 and 1950 and straining diplomatic ties. The United States later intervened, pushing Afghanistan to rebuild relations with both Pakistan and Iran.
Afghanistan eventually came under Soviet occupation, during which sporadic border incidents with Pakistan continued, although many were not widely reported.
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