Nine children and a woman were killed in an alleged Pakistani strike on a Khost border house

Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government has accused Pakistani forces of bombing a civilian home in the Gurbuz district of Khost province late at night, killing nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman.

According to the Afghan spokesman, the strike occurred at around 19:30 GMT and completely destroyed the house of a local resident.

Four other civilians were reportedly wounded in the same attack, with further strikes alleged in neighboring Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Residents described scenes of devastation as emergency teams and neighbors combed through the rubble.

One local leader said the house appeared to have been hit by a drone or aircraft while the family slept. Afghan authorities condemned the attack as a breach of Afghan sovereignty and warned of a “legitimate” response.

Pakistan’s military categorically denied carrying out any such strikes overnight, asserting that it only targets militants and immediately acknowledges operations when conducted.

The blast follows a suicide bombing in Peshawar the previous day, which Pakistan attributes to militants operating from Afghan territory.

The incident escalates already tense cross-border relations, underscoring the fragile truce and repeated violations. All border crossings remain closed; trade has stalled, and both governments have failed to agree on verification or accountability procedures.

Observers fear that without de-escalation mechanisms, further military or diplomatic action may spark a full-scale confrontation along the decades-long conflict zone.

Source: Al Jazeera