Pakistan Airstrikes Kill 13 in Afghanistan, 11 Children
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- Pakistan's military launched air strikes across three Afghan provinces—Kunar, Khost, and Paktika—on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people, including 11 children, according to Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
- At least 14 others, all women and children, were injured in strikes the Taliban said violated Afghan airspace and hit civilian homes.
- Pakistani security officials told Reuters the strikes targeted "hideouts and other facilities of Pakistani militants," though Pakistan's military and government issued no immediate public comment.
- Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring militants who plot attacks in Pakistan; the Taliban denies the allegation and says Pakistani militancy is an internal problem.
- The violence threatens a fragile ceasefire agreed in March, coming after the two countries fought their worst battle in years in February in a conflict that has killed hundreds in 2024.
- China has been attempting to mediate between the two allies-turned-foes, a diplomatic track now complicated by the renewed strikes.
Why it matters: The airstrikes shatter a ceasefire agreed just three months ago and undermine China's mediation track, pulling Pakistan and Afghanistan back toward open conflict after their worst fighting in years. With 11 of the 13 confirmed dead being children and both sides entrenched in blame, the diplomatic off-ramp that briefly existed in March now looks significantly harder to restore.
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