At least 12 people, including children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes near the Afghanistan border, Afghan government officials and local sources said on Wednesday, marking the deadliest escalation in weeks following a period of relative calm.
“Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan’s airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika,” Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X.
“As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed.”
In a separate incident in Paktika’s Barmal district, local residents reported that another strike killed three civilians when a home was hit.
The latest strikes come after weeks of relative calm along the volatile border, which had previously seen a surge in clashes earlier this year.
According to a United Nations report, at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 others injured in border-related violence during the first three months of the year.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan remain strained since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
