Pakistan airstrikes kill four in Afghanistan, deepen border tensions
Pakistan's strikes in Kunar killed four and wounded 70, jolting fragile talks and raising fears of a wider border crisis.
The latest cross-border barrage between Pakistan and Taliban-run Afghanistan hit homes and a university area in Kunar province, killing four people and wounding 70, and it threatened to unwind fragile diplomacy only weeks after China-hosted talks in Urumqi.
The Taliban government said the mortar and rocket fire struck Asadabad, including Syed Jamaluddin Afghani University, where about 30 students, women and children were among the wounded. Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat condemned the attack as “unforgivable war crimes,” saying ordinary people, academic institutions and educational facilities had been targeted. The account transformed the incident from a border exchange into a political flashpoint, because it placed civilian harm at the center of the dispute.
Pakistan rejected the accusation, with its government dismissing the Afghan version as “continuous propaganda.” The Pakistan information ministry said any action against militant infrastructure would be backed by evidence, while the Pakistani military did not immediately respond. Islamabad has long framed its strikes as counterterrorism operations aimed at militant networks rather than civilian sites, and that split narrative now sits at the heart of the confrontation.
The attack carried added weight because Reuters described it as the first violent incident since Chinese-mediated peace talks earlier in April. China’s foreign ministry said on April 8 that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed in Urumqi to explore a comprehensive solution and avoid steps that could escalate or complicate the situation. That agreement now looks fragile, with both sides again trading blame while trying to keep diplomatic channels open.
The border conflict has already taken a heavy civilian toll. United Nations experts said on March 24 that since February 26 there had been at least 289 civilian casualties in Afghanistan, including 76 killed and 213 injured, and that more than 115,000 people had been displaced. The UN also said the fighting had damaged homes, medical facilities, markets and sites for displaced people. Trade and cross-border travel had also been disrupted by early April, deepening the economic strain on communities along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The latest deaths and injuries now add urgency to efforts to prevent a wider breakdown. Some contemporaneous reports put the toll higher, at seven dead and at least 85 wounded, underscoring the confusion that can follow fast-moving border violence. What is clear is that the fighting has moved beyond isolated military pressure and into civilian spaces, where every new strike raises the risk of a broader regional security crisis.
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