Seven dead, 85 wounded in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan: Report

Pakistani missiles and mortars hit several civilian homes in Kunar province and Jamaluddin Afghani University in the provincial capital, Asadabad.

At least seven people were reportedly killed and dozens wounded in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan on Monday, marking the deadliest escalation in the conflict between the two countries in weeks. This follows talks in China in early April, wherein officials from both sides agreed not to escalate their conflict.

Pakistani missiles and mortars hit several civilian homes in Kunar province and Jamaluddin Afghani University in the provincial capital, Asadabad. The Kunar Information and Culture director, Najibullah Hanafi, said the death toll stood at seven and injuries at 85, The Guardian reported.

Afghanistan’s higher education ministry said about 30 students and professors were also injured in the assault. Pakistan dismissed reports of the strike on the university as “a blatant lie”, maintaining that the targeting is precise and intelligence-based.

This is the latest development in the conflict between the two South Asian countries that has left hundreds dead and 94,000 people displaced, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The latest conflict between the two broke out in late February, when Kabul launched coordinated cross-border attacks on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. This ended the fragile truce mediated by Qatar and Turkey in late 2025. This was followed by deadly border skirmishes and Pakistani strikes deep inside Afghan territory that targeted civilian installations.

For years, Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring militant groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – a group allied with the ruling Afghan Taliban and operating primarily in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Alongside China, this time Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaging with both sides to end hostilities.

On March 16, Islamabad conducted airstrikes targeting a drug rehabilitation centre, established on the site of the former NATO base, in the capital Kabul, killing over 400 people, as per Afghan sources. Pakistan had denied targeting civilian installations and disputed the figures. Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan put the death toll at 143. Both sides declared a temporary truce on March on Eid al-Fitr.

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At least seven people were reportedly killed and dozens wounded in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan on Monday, marking the deadliest escalation in the conflict between the two countries in weeks. This follows talks in China in early April, wherein officials from both sides agreed not to escalate their conflict.

Pakistani missiles and mortars hit several civilian homes in Kunar province and Jamaluddin Afghani University in the provincial capital, Asadabad. The Kunar Information and Culture director, Najibullah Hanafi, said the death toll stood at seven and injuries at 85, The Guardian reported.

Afghanistan’s higher education ministry said about 30 students and professors were also injured in the assault. Pakistan dismissed reports of the strike on the university as “a blatant lie”, maintaining that the targeting is precise and intelligence-based.

This is the latest development in the conflict between the two South Asian countries that has left hundreds dead and 94,000 people displaced, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The latest conflict between the two broke out in late February, when Kabul launched coordinated cross-border attacks on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. This ended the fragile truce mediated by Qatar and Turkey in late 2025. This was followed by deadly border skirmishes and Pakistani strikes deep inside Afghan territory that targeted civilian installations.

For years, Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring militant groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – a group allied with the ruling Afghan Taliban and operating primarily in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Alongside China, this time Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are engaging with both sides to end hostilities.

On March 16, Islamabad conducted airstrikes targeting a drug rehabilitation centre, established on the site of the former NATO base, in the capital Kabul, killing over 400 people, as per Afghan sources. Pakistan had denied targeting civilian installations and disputed the figures. Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan put the death toll at 143. Both sides declared a temporary truce on March on Eid al-Fitr.