Several killed as Pakistan strikes Afghanistan, Taliban says

Several killed as Pakistan strikes Afghanistan, Taliban says June 10, 2026Pakistan launched new airstrikes on Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people, Taliban authorities said on Wednesday. The countries have been engaged in a conflict that has killed hundreds of people so far this year. What do we know? The Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in three Afghan provinces, including Khost, Kunar and Paktika, Taliban's chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X. Mujahid alleged that 11 children were among those killed in the strikes that he claimed "violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes." The spokesperson said that 14 people were injured, all of whom were children and women. Pakistan confirmed carrying out strikes in Afghanistan but claimed that it had killed 26 militants. "In the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan.... precise and calibrated Strikes were carried out along Pakistan Afghanistan border areas on hideouts and safe havens," Pakistan's information minister Attaullah Tarar said in a statement on X. The strikes on Wednesday come on the heels of a suspected Pakistani Taliban militant attack on a security checkpoint in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Pakistan's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that a gunbattle ensued after the suspected militants attempted to seize the security post, leaving six Frontier Constabulary personnel dead. The deadly Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict The renewed Pakistani strikes shattered a period of relative lull at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after the conflict between the two South Asian neighbors erupted earler this year. In February, Islamabad declared it was in "open war" with Kabul, following a rise in militant attacks on civilians and security forces inside Pakistan. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch attacks inside its territory. The Taliban denies the allegations, saying that militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem. In March, the two countries agreed on a ceasefire, with China hosting peace talks. A United Nations report last month estimated that at least 372 Afghan civilians have died and 397 have been wounded in the conflict in the first three months of this year. Edited by: Natalie Muller Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.