Kabul, MINA – Afghan authorities said at least nine children and one woman were killed after Pakistani forces bombed a house in southeastern Khost province late Monday night, in what marks a sharp escalation amid an already fragile ceasefire between the two countries, Al Jazeera reported.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban administration, said the attack hit a civilian home in the Gurbuz district around midnight. The residence belonged to a local man, Waliat Khan, the son of Qazi Mir.
“The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident,” Mujahid wrote on X. “As a result, nine children [five boys and four girls] and one woman were martyred, and his house was destroyed.”
Mujahid added that other airstrikes targeted areas in northeastern Kunar and eastern Paktika provinces, injuring at least four civilians. Pakistan has yet to issue any statement on the attacks.
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The deadly bombardment comes just one day after a suicide bombing at the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary Federal Constabulary force in Peshawar.
The attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).
Pakistani state media reported that the attackers were Afghan nationals, while President Asif Zardari accused “foreign-backed Fitna al-Khawarij” of orchestrating the attack from Afghan soil.
Earlier this month, another suicide attack in Islamabad killed at least 12 people. Pakistan blamed a TTP-linked cell allegedly guided “at every step” by leaders based in Afghanistan.
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Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Tensions worsened following deadly border clashes in October that left about 70 people dead on both sides. Although a ceasefire was brokered by Qatar and Turkiye, negotiations in Istanbul stalled, largely over Pakistan’s demand that Kabul curb TTP activity.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militant groups behind a surge in attacks, including the TTP, which has carried out a long-running campaign inside Pakistan. Afghanistan rejects the allegations and counters that Pakistan shelters groups hostile to Kabul and continues to violate Afghan sovereignty.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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