Pakistani Airstrikes Kill 10 Civilians in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — Pakistani airstrikes targeted a civilian home in southeastern Afghanistan's Khost province late Monday, killing nine children and one woman, according to Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The attack occurred around midnight in the Mughalgai area of Gurbuz district, destroying the residence of local resident Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir.

Mujahid detailed the casualties in a statement on social media platform X on Tuesday, specifying that the victims included five boys and four girls. He described the strikes as carried out by "Pakistani invading forces" and noted that the family home was completely leveled. Additional airstrikes hit border regions in the northeastern Kunar province and eastern Paktika province, where four civilians sustained injuries, Mujahid added. No immediate comment was available from Pakistani military or government officials.

The incident marks a sharp escalation in cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have simmered since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021. Tensions center on the porous Durand Line border, which neither side fully recognizes, and mutual accusations of harboring...