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Taliban Accuse Pakistan of Deadly Airstrikes
Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar Province that killed civilians as cross-border fighting between the two countries entered its third week.
DVIDs photo by Tech. Sgt. Joseph McLean, U.S. Air Force
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Friday accused Pakistan’s military of carrying out overnight airstrikes on residential areas in Kabul and the southern province of Kandahar, reporting that at least four civilians were killed as the conflict between the two neighbors entered its third week.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a message posted on X that Pakistani aircraft struck homes and targeted fuel storage facilities belonging to the private Afghan airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport. Mujahid stated that the company supplies aviation fuel to civilian carriers as well as aircraft operated by the United Nations.
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Officials in Pakistan’s government and military had not issued an immediate response to the allegations.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated since late February, when Kabul said it had attacked Pakistani military posts in retaliation for earlier strikes conducted by Pakistan along their shared border. Pakistan has maintained that its operations are aimed at fighters from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and their support networks operating in the border region, which Afghanistan has never formally recognized as an international boundary.
Both sides say they have inflicted heavy casualties in the confrontation, which Pakistan has described as an “open war” and the most serious fighting between the countries in years.
Mujahid also claimed that Pakistani air raids struck several civilian and deserted locations in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Paktia Province and Paktika Province, warning that the attacks would be met with retaliation.
According to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran, at least four civilians, including children, died in the capital while another 15 people were wounded. The overall casualty figure across Afghanistan remained unclear.
The reported airstrikes occurred a day after Yue Xiaoyong arrived in Islamabad and held talks with Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq. The meeting followed Yue’s earlier visit to Kabul, where he met Afghan officials.
Sadiq said on X that the discussions focused on security threats posed by militant organizations such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which Pakistan and China consider security risks. He added that both sides agreed on the importance of joint efforts to maintain regional peace and stability.
Repeated appeals from the international community urging restraint have so far failed to ease tensions. Pakistan has consistently stated that its cross-border strikes are aimed at militants it labels as Khawarij, a term used by Islamabad to describe the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan frequently accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to the group, an accusation Kabul denies.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has stepped up attacks inside Pakistan and in areas near the border. Islamabad has said its military operations will continue until Afghanistan takes measurable steps to prevent militants from operating from its territory.
The current clashes also ended a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey in October, when tensions between the two nations nearly escalated into a broader war. The agreement, signed in Qatar, was followed by six days of negotiations in Istanbul, where both countries agreed to prolong the truce and plan a third round of talks in November.
Editor’s Note:
This report is based on statements issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and publicly available information about ongoing clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Casualty figures and details of the alleged airstrikes have not been independently verified, and Pakistan’s military had not publicly commented at the time of publication.
