In a major escalation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Pakistani forces launched airstrikes that killed at least ten people, including nine children, in the Gurbuz district of Afghanistan’s Khost province. The attacks followed a suicide bombing in Peshawar the previous day that left six dead, sparking fears of a renewed large-scale conflict between the two neighbours.
According to the Taliban, midnight airstrikes targeted the home of a local civilian, killing five boys, four girls and a woman. Additional strikes were reported in Kunar and Paktika provinces, injuring several more civilians.
The operation came just 24 hours after the attack on Pakistan’s paramilitary headquarters in Peshawar, which Islamabad contends was carried out by insurgents operating from Afghan territory. Kabul and the Taliban, however, say the Pakistani response indiscriminately struck civilian homes and flagrantly violated Afghan sovereignty.
The Taliban’s spokesman accused Pakistani forces of deliberate civilian targeting and warned of a sharp escalation in hostilities. Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have yet to release an official figure for civilian casualties in English-language statements, fuelling concerns over transparency.
Analysts warn that the deaths of children will deepen anger in Afghanistan, potentially bolster local insurgent support, and provoke a dangerous chain-reaction of cross-border violence. With winter approaching and humanitarian conditions already fragile, the risk of a wider refugee crisis and border instability looms large.
Diplomatic tensions between Islamabad and Kabul are escalating rapidly. With mounting civilian casualties and retaliatory rhetoric, any further military exchange could draw in broader regional actors and shift the South Asia security landscape.
