Cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have dramatically escalated after a series of overnight airstrikes killed multiple civilians, including nine children.
Civilian Deaths in Khost Province
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has accused the Pakistani military of conducting deadly airstrikes on its territory. According to Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, Pakistani jets targeted a civilian home in Khost province on Tuesday 25 November 2025.
The strikes resulted in the deaths of at least ten civilians, a toll that includes nine children and one woman. Additional aerial raids were also reported in the neighbouring provinces of Kunar and Paktika, further inflaming the situation.
Retaliation for Peshawar Attack
These devastating airstrikes came just one day after a separate, deadly incident on Pakistani soil. A fierce assault on a security installation in Peshawar killed three security personnel and left eleven others injured.
Pakistani authorities frequently attribute such attacks to the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Islamabad has long alleged that the TTP uses Afghan territory as a safe haven from which to plan and launch operations, a claim that the Taliban government in Kabul consistently denies.
A Deepening Regional Crisis
This tragic event marks a significant deterioration in relations between the two neighbouring nations. Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been significantly escalating throughout this year, with a series of border clashes and failed ceasefire negotiations failing to ease the hostility.
The death of nine children in this latest incident represents one of the gravest single episodes in the ongoing border conflict, raising fears of a further, dangerous military escalation between the two countries.
