Pakistan's Afghan Airstrikes
Pakistan Conducts Retaliatory Strikes in Afghanistan, Reportedly Killing 13 Civilians Including 11 Children
Key Points
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the BBC that the “pinpoint strikes” hit “four targets,” including a “training center” and an “ammunition depot” that Pakistan said were used by armed groups near the border. The BBC also reported these were Pakistan’s first airstrikes on Afghan territory since February, when border clashes killed “hundreds,” and that a ceasefire had been agreed last fall but tensions remained high.
An AFP journalist reported seeing a house “completely destroyed” in Khost, with residents “digging graves to bury those killed” after the overnight attack. AFP also quoted Afghanistan’s government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying “11 children, one woman, and one elderly man” were killed, and that in Khost’s Spera district the strike killed “nine people and wounded 10 others,” including children, with residents saying it hit Mane village soon after midnight.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X that Pakistan “violated Afghanistan’s airspace and bombed civilian homes” in Kunar, Khost and Paktika, and Bloomberg (via UNN) reported that he said “14 women and children were injured.”
Bloomberg (via UNN) added broader context on how quickly the cycle of accusations has intensified again: it noted earlier failed mediation efforts and, critically, that in March Afghan authorities claimed Pakistan’s strikes killed “at least 400 people” in a Kabul hospital—an allegation Pakistan denied, saying its attacks targeted “military infrastructure.”
Pakistan launched airstrikes on three Afghan provinces overnight on June 10, killing at least 13 people — including 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man — according to Reuters. The strikes hit Khost, Kunar, and Paktika, areas near the border with Pakistan's volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
Pakistan says the operation was retaliation for a militant attack hours earlier that killed six Pakistani security personnel. Islamabad claims its jets destroyed militant infrastructure and killed 26 fighters. Afghan officials say civilian homes were bombed. Neither side's figures can be independently verified.
A Midnight Strike on Mane Village Leaves Graves to Dig
Pakistani jets hit Mane village in Khost's Spera district shortly after midnight, AFP reported. A journalist on the ground saw a house "completely destroyed," with residents "digging graves to bury those killed." Nine people died in Spera alone, with 10 others wounded. Tribal elder Habib Ullah told AP those killed were "poor people" with no links to the Taliban or the TTP.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X that Pakistan "violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes" across all three provinces. He confirmed 14 women and children were also injured in the strikes, according to Bloomberg. Afghan officials summoned Pakistan's chargé d'affaires in Kabul on June 11 to formally protest the attacks.
Pakistan Says Strikes Were Precise, Targeted Militant Hubs
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was "precise and calibrated." He told BBC the jets hit four targets — including a training center and an ammunition depot used by what Pakistan officially calls "Fitna Al Khwarij," its term for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He said 26 militants were killed, all linked to planning cross-border attacks.
The strikes came hours after suspected TTP fighters attacked a Federal Constabulary post in Hasan Khel, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing six Pakistani soldiers. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed Pakistan's fight against militancy would be "intensified," according to AP. Islamabad argues its strikes are legal under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows self-defense against armed attacks.
Two Countries Already at War Since February 2026
These are not the first Pakistani strikes on Afghan soil. A ceasefire agreed in late 2025 collapsed in February 2026, when border clashes killed hundreds, according to BBC. In March 2026, Afghan authorities claimed a Pakistani airstrike near Kabul killed over 400 people at a drug-treatment center. Pakistan denied that figure and said it had targeted military infrastructure only.
China tried to mediate peace talks in Urumqi in April 2026, but negotiations stalled. Analysts at ACLED said the June 10 strikes "shattered more than a month of relative calm," signaling that Pakistan's military is now committed to a pre-emptive strike doctrine. South Asia analyst Pearl Pandya warned the strategy carries the risk of drawing the two countries into full-scale conventional war.
Border Closures Choke Trade and Deepen Afghan Suffering
The Torkham and Chaman border crossings — the main trade routes between the two countries — have seen repeated closures since the February escalation, according to Al Jazeera. The disruptions are strangling commerce and blocking humanitarian aid into Afghanistan, which already faces one of the world's worst economic crises.
Thousands of families in Khost and Kunar have been displaced by cross-border shelling, creating a growing internal refugee crisis, according to the UN. Analysts warn the Taliban may now increase support for Pakistani insurgents as a deterrent — locking both countries into a cycle of retaliation with no clear off-ramp in sight.
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