Pakistani military airstrikes on Tuesday night, 10 June 2026, killed at least 13 civilians — including 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man — in Afghanistan's Kunar, Khost, and Paktika provinces, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Wednesday. A further 14 women and children were injured in the strikes, which Mujahid described as deliberate attacks on civilian homes.

What the Taliban Said

In a post on social media platform X, Zabihullah Mujahid stated: 'Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika. As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women and children were injured. We strongly condemn this humanitarian crime and act of aggression.'

The Taliban administration characterised the strikes as a continuation of what it calls Pakistan's pattern of targeting non-combatant populations rather than armed groups.

Scale of Destruction on the Ground

A Taliban district official, as reported by Afghanistan International, said two schools, a clinic, and two mosques were destroyed in the attack. The exact timing of the strikes was not disclosed by officials.

Mohammad Omar Sadiq, the Taliban district governor of Dangam, alleged that Pakistani forces had abandoned direct engagement and shifted to targeting civilian infrastructure. He added that 80 head of cattle were killed and that 12 schools have been destroyed in Kunar province since Pakistan's cross-border strikes began.

A Pattern of Escalating Strikes

This incident is not isolated. Last month, three people were killed and 14 others injured in Pakistani army strikes on the Dangam district of Kunar province, according to the Taliban administration.

The broader toll is stark. On 12 May, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) revealed that at least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 injured between 1 January and 31 March 2026 due to cross-border violence between Pakistani military forces and Afghan forces.

UNAMA's Human Rights Service documented over 750 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border armed violence during the same period. The report noted that most casualties occurred following Pakistan's announcement of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on 26 February, with more than half attributed to the 16 March airstrike on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Kabul.

Civilian Casualty Breakdown

According to the UNAMA cross-border civilian casualties update covering January–March 2026, the total included 72 women, 554 men, 48 girls, and 95 boys. Prior to the Omid Hospital strike — which housed only male patients — women and children had accounted for over half of all recorded casualties.

Diplomatic Deadlock

The latest strikes come amid months of escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, marked by repeated exchanges of fire and mounting civilian casualties on both sides. Both governments have accused each other of fuelling regional instability. Diplomatic and local mediation efforts have so far failed to halt the cycle of escalation, with no ceasefire framework currently in place.