Blab News
Pakistan Airstrikes Kill 13 in Afghanistan, Taliban Reports 11 Children Among Victims
On Wednesday, June 10, the Afghan government announced that Pakistani forces had carried out airstrikes against Afghan territory, killing 13 people and wounding 14 others. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes targeted the provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika and claimed that 11 children, one woman and an elderly man were among the dead.
The attacks came a day after Pakistani security forces reported a firefight with suspected Pakistani Taliban militants at a security post in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later attended funeral prayers for the deceased personnel in Peshawar and pledged that Pakistan would intensify operations against groups threatening peace and security.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have been engaged in a cycle of cross‑border violence since late February 2026, when Pakistan launched airstrikes on what it described as militant camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS‑K). The Afghan Taliban denied the presence of such camps and accused Pakistan of targeting civilians. In March, Pakistan said a strike in Kabul’s drug‑treatment centre killed more than 400 people, a figure that Afghanistan could not confirm and which Pakistan denied, claiming the target was an ammunition depot.
The current airstrikes are part of a broader conflict that has already claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported civilian deaths and injuries resulting from cross‑border violence, urging both governments to adhere to international humanitarian law. The Afghan government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, while Pakistan has declared an “open war” against Afghanistan and launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq, a large‑scale campaign involving air and ground strikes.
China had hosted peace talks in Urumqi earlier this year, and Beijing later announced that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed not to further escalated the conflict and to explore a solution. However, the latest strikes and the subsequent firefight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggest that diplomatic efforts have stalled.
There has been no immediate acknowledgment from Pakistan regarding the June 10 airstrikes. The Afghan Taliban’s statement that 11 children were killed is the only confirmed casualty figure released by an Afghan source. The conflict continues to raise concerns about civilian safety, displacement, and the broader security situation along the Durand Line.
The international community watches closely as the two neighboring states navigate a volatile security environment. Further developments will likely depend on diplomatic engagement, potential mediation by third parties, and the actions of both governments in addressing the underlying security grievances that fuel the cross‑border violence.
The attacks came a day after Pakistani security forces reported a firefight with suspected Pakistani Taliban militants at a security post in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later attended funeral prayers for the deceased personnel in Peshawar and pledged that Pakistan would intensify operations against groups threatening peace and security.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have been engaged in a cycle of cross‑border violence since late February 2026, when Pakistan launched airstrikes on what it described as militant camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS‑K). The Afghan Taliban denied the presence of such camps and accused Pakistan of targeting civilians. In March, Pakistan said a strike in Kabul’s drug‑treatment centre killed more than 400 people, a figure that Afghanistan could not confirm and which Pakistan denied, claiming the target was an ammunition depot.
The current airstrikes are part of a broader conflict that has already claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported civilian deaths and injuries resulting from cross‑border violence, urging both governments to adhere to international humanitarian law. The Afghan government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, while Pakistan has declared an “open war” against Afghanistan and launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq, a large‑scale campaign involving air and ground strikes.
China had hosted peace talks in Urumqi earlier this year, and Beijing later announced that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed not to further escalated the conflict and to explore a solution. However, the latest strikes and the subsequent firefight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggest that diplomatic efforts have stalled.
There has been no immediate acknowledgment from Pakistan regarding the June 10 airstrikes. The Afghan Taliban’s statement that 11 children were killed is the only confirmed casualty figure released by an Afghan source. The conflict continues to raise concerns about civilian safety, displacement, and the broader security situation along the Durand Line.
The international community watches closely as the two neighboring states navigate a volatile security environment. Further developments will likely depend on diplomatic engagement, potential mediation by third parties, and the actions of both governments in addressing the underlying security grievances that fuel the cross‑border violence.
