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Pakistani strikes killed at least 12 people in eastern Afghanistan near the border overnight, Afghan officials and local sources said Wednesday, marking the deadliest attacks in weeks after a period of relative calm.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces violated Afghan airspace and struck civilian homes in Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces.
“As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman and one elderly man were killed,” Mujahid wrote on X.
Pakistan’s military and Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Islamabad has previously said its strikes in Afghanistan target militants responsible for attacks in Pakistan and that it does not deliberately attack civilians.
An official in Khost province, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a house in Spera district was struck, killing nine people and injuring 10 others.
In neighboring Paktika province, two residents said another strike hit a home in Barmal district and killed three civilians.
One of the residents said the victims were children.
Afghan authorities also reported strikes in Kunar province, though no separate casualty details were provided.
The overnight attacks were the deadliest in several weeks and came after a period of reduced violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Fighting between the two countries escalated in late February, leading to intense clashes along the frontier and Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities.
The strikes included attacks on Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar, where Afghanistan’s supreme leader is based.
At least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 others were injured during the conflict in the first three months of the year, according to a United Nations report published last month.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Security disputes have been a major source of friction, particularly Pakistan’s demand that Afghanistan take action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for a rise in attacks inside Pakistan, particularly members of the TTP, which has carried out a long-running armed campaign against the Pakistani state.
Afghan officials deny the allegations and accuse Pakistan of harboring groups hostile to Afghanistan and failing to respect Afghan sovereignty.
The border between the two countries has remained largely closed since another outbreak of violence in October.
The closure has disrupted and largely frozen bilateral trade.
The latest strikes renewed tensions along the frontier as both sides continued trading accusations over militant activity and sovereignty.
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