10 Dead, Including Children, After Pakistan Strikes Multiple Afghan Provinces

At least 10 civilians, including nine children and a woman, were killed.

After Pakistan carried out a series of overnight air and drone strikes across multiple Afghan provinces, targeting suspected hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, according to intelligence sources cited by CNN News18.

The strikes hit Kunar, Paktika, and Khost provinces along the Durand Line, triggering strong condemnation from the Taliban administration, which reported multiple civilian casualties. Local sources said drone strikes struck a vehicle near a guest house (hujra) in Barmal, Paktika—a known stronghold of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar militants—around midnight.

AFP quoted Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirming at least 10 civilian deaths in Khost province, with four more injured in Kunar and Paktika. The bombardment followed an unclaimed suicide attack on Pakistani security forces earlier this week in a border province.

Pakistan has blamed militants operating from Afghan soil for recent attacks, including a suicide blast in Islamabad earlier this month that killed 12, alleging the attackers were guided by a “high command based in Afghanistan.”

Tensions between the two countries have simmered for months. Both sides exchanged cross-border fire in October before entering a fragile truce, which has repeatedly come under strain. Previous clashes that month left dozens dead, and ceasefire talks in Turkey collapsed over disagreements concerning anti-Pakistan militant groups operating inside Afghanistan.

The Taliban are still assessing damage from the latest strikes as ground reports continue to come in.