Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Deadly Airstrikes Amid Rising Cross-Border Hostilities

KABUL / ISLAMABAD — The Taliban government in Afghanistan accuses Pakistan on Tuesday of carrying out air and artillery strikes that killed ten civilians in the east. Officials said nine children and one woman died when a house collapsed after an explosion in Khost province.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the blasts also hit parts of Kunar and Paktika. Several people suffered injuries in those attacks. He called the strikes a violation of Afghan sovereignty and warned that the incident would damage ties between the two neighbours.

The explosions came a day after a suicide bomber attacked a Pakistani paramilitary base in Peshawar. That attack killed three officers and wounded others. Pakistan said the bomber had links to militants who operate from Afghan soil, a claim the Taliban denies.

Islamabad has not confirmed or commented on the alleged strikes. Officials have maintained pressure on Kabul for months, saying the Afghan Taliban must stop the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) from using Afghan territory for attacks. Kabul rejects the accusation and says Pakistan creates the tension by carrying out cross-border raids.

Analysts say the frontier remains unstable. Both sides trade blame after every incident, and neither side takes steps to ease the hostility. The latest deaths may push the region into another cycle of retaliation, raising fears of a deeper conflict.