Alleged Pakistani air strikes may have hit an already-fragile truce agreement with Afghanistan
New Delhi, Nov 25 (LatestNewsX) – Pakistan’s night‑time airstrikes that crossed into eastern Afghanistan on the night of 24‑25 November could abruptly collapse the fragile ceasefire that has been holding only in name.
A prior barrage triggered a raid by Taliban fighters on Pakistani border posts on 11 October, shutting down all commercial traffic across the contentious Durand Line.
These simmering tensions have sparked several gunfights along the disputed border, causing it to close intermittently and disrupting one of Afghanistan’s main trade arteries – a critical lifeline for the land‑locked nation.
Since 12 November, trade across the Afghanistan‑Pakistan frontier has halted, with Kabul urging business leaders to explore alternative routes.
Regional mediators initially brokered a short‑lived truce between Kabul and Islamabad, but subsequent talks failed to settle concrete steps for peace, even after two meetings.
The follow‑up sessions in Istanbul could not agree on the terms needed to implement the Doha accord reached on 18‑19 October.
While Qatar and Turkey steered the talks, other neighbours – notably Iran – have reportedly offered to mediate a renewed ceasefire.
Islamabad repeatedly accuses the Taliban of sheltering the Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and coordinating cross‑border assaults on Pakistani territory.
In turn, Kabul denies these charges, blaming Pakistan for repeated incursions, illegal occupation, and the displacement of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees.
On Tuesday, the Taliban announced that Pakistan’s strikes on districts in Khost, Kunar and Paktika had killed at least ten civilians, including nine children and one woman.
The attacks reportedly struck a residential house in Mughalgai, Khost, where the Taliban said its occupants perished, and inflicted injuries on civilians in nearby border zones of Kunar and Paktika.
Local witnesses and Taliban statements describe the Khost raid as occurring around midnight, targeting a residential compound and causing severe damage and civilian casualties.
Some observers linked the action to Pakistan’s retaliation for a suicide bombing in Peshawar on Monday that had struck a paramilitary Federal Constabulary compound, killing multiple officers.
The fallout saw Afghan officials denounce the assault and the Taliban promise a “responsive appropriate” retaliation, raising concerns of a broader security spiral along the porous frontier.
The Afghan government spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told the local media that in the midnight raid, “Pakistani invading forces bombed the home of a civilian in the Mughulgai area of Khost’s Gurbuz district, killing nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman and destroying the house. Airstrikes were also carried out in Kunar and Paktika, injuring four civilians”.
Meanwhile, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attacks and urged Pakistan to abandon its “hostile” policies and refrain from repeating them, according to Tolo News.
Former U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, also offered condolences to the victims’ families, saying that killing civilians is not a solution to any problem.
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