Pakistan–Afghanistan Tensions Escalate After Deadly Cross-Border Airstrikes

A fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan is under renewed strain after Afghan officials accused Pakistan of launching deadly cross-border airstrikes that killed 10 civilians, including nine children.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X that Pakistani forces bombed the home of a civilian, Waliat Khan, in eastern Afghanistan.
According to Mujahid:

• Nine children (five boys and four girls)

• One woman

were killed, and the house was “destroyed.”

He added that further airstrikes hit Kunar and Paktika provinces, injuring at least four civilians. Pakistan has not commented on the allegations.

---

Attacks Follow Suicide Bombing in Peshawar

The strikes came a day after a suicide attack on the headquarters of Pakistan’s paramilitary Federal Constabulary in Peshawar.
Key points:

• The attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

• Pakistani state TV reported that the attackers were Afghan nationals.

• President Asif Zardari blamed “foreign-backed Fitna al-Khawarij,” Islamabad’s term for the TTP elements it accuses of operating from Afghan territory.

Earlier in November, another suicide attack in Islamabad killed at least 12 people and was also attributed to a TTP faction. Pakistan alleged that the attack cell was directed “step by step” by leaders based inside Afghanistan.

---

Ceasefire on the Brink

Pakistan–Afghanistan relations have been tense since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 and deteriorated sharply following border clashes in October that left around 70 people dead on both sides.

A ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Türkiye halted the fighting, but recent dialogue in Istanbul failed to produce a lasting settlement. The main obstacle remains Pakistan’s demand that Kabul curb TTP militants, whom Pakistan says receive sanctuary in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan denies the accusations and counters that Pakistan hosts groups hostile to Kabul and frequently violates Afghan sovereignty.

---

Risk of Renewed Conflict

The latest airstrikes, coupled with escalating militant attacks inside Pakistan, threaten to unravel the already fragile truce and push the two neighbours closer to open confrontation. With neither side willing to make concessions on security concerns, negotiations remain stalled and the risk of renewed border hostilities is rising.