KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) 鈥� Pakistan launched deadly new airstrikes on Afghanistan early Wednesday, ending a month of calm following what Islamabad previously described as between the neighbors that has defied international efforts to bring a lasting peace.
Afghanistan said the strikes hit the eastern provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika, and government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said 13 people were killed 鈥� 11 children, one woman and an older man 鈥� with 14 other civilians wounded.
Pakistan confirmed it carried out strikes, saying it targeted militant hideouts and infrastructure linked to recent attacks inside Pakistan and that 26 militants were killed. The two sides often give widely differing casualty figures.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since February, when Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Several rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have failed to produce a lasting truce.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the , known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.
Seven children killed in the strikes are buried
In Khost, hundreds of mourners attended the funerals of nine people killed 鈥� seven children ranging in age from 3 to 15, a woman and a man. All were from the same family, killed when their house collapsed from the airstrike, relatives said.
Residents knelt to mourn at the open casket of a small child.
One mourner, Talib Gul, said those killed were his uncle and aunt along with their four daughters and three sons.
鈥淚n my uncle鈥檚 family, only two of his daughters survived. The rest of his entire family was martyred,鈥� Gul said.
He said a second strike hit his brother’s house, causing significant damage and killing many livestock that are central to livelihoods there.
Afghanistan鈥檚 foreign ministry summoned Pakistan鈥檚 charg茅 d鈥檃ffaires in Kabul to protest 鈥漷he violation of Afghan airspace and the bombing of the homes of innocent civilians,鈥� deputy spokesperson and public relations director Zia Ahmad Takal said in a statement, adding that Pakistan should 鈥渇ind a fundamental solution to its internal problems.鈥�
Pakistan says it targeted militant hideouts
In a post on X, Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said strikes were carried out in border areas on “hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners” of attacks carried out by the Pakistani Taliban and insurgents in Pakistan鈥檚 northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
Tarar said four targets were destroyed: a training center, a hideout, an ammunition cache and a facility belonging to militant commanders.
Pakistan鈥檚 counter-terrorism campaign will continue 鈥渁t full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism,鈥� he said.
Pakistan鈥檚 information ministry on X dismissed Afghanistan’s reports of civilian casualties, asserting that 鈥淎fghan Taliban accounts are peddling propaganda.鈥�
Wednesday’s strikes came a day after suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security post in Pakistan’s Hasan Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, triggering a gunfight in which six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded, according to Pakistan鈥檚 interior ministry.
Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight of the attackers and thwarted an attempt to overrun the checkpoint.
The situation along the border was calm hours after Wednesday’s strikes. Kabul has previously responded to strikes by targeting Pakistani posts along the frontier hours or days later.
Fighting has closed the border since October
Pakistan in February declared it was in open war with Afghanistan, following a surge in militant attacks on its civilians and security forces.
Afghanistan has said a Pakistani airstrike in March hit a in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. Pakistan has disputed the toll and denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot.
Wednesday’s strikes come months after between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Beijing later said they had agreed not to escalate their conflict and to explore a solution.
Authorities in Pakistan have said China and some other friendly countries were still encouraging both sides to reach an agreement for durable peace.
Masood Khan, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said the solution to the tensions lies in enforcing a decree by Afghanistan’s Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordering the TTP to stop attacks on Pakistan.
鈥淭hat decree must be implemented sincerely and faithfully,鈥� Khan said.
The border has been closed since October, disrupting trade and transportation and stranding thousands of people.
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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.
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