Published 13 March 2026

What Afghan officials say happened

Afghanistan's Taliban government says Pakistani warplanes carried out overnight strikes that hit civilian homes in Kabul and in the east, killing at least four people in the capital and two more in eastern provinces. Officials said women and children were among those killed.

Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also accused Pakistan of striking fuel depots used by the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport.

Pakistan's response

Pakistani security sources described the operations differently. They said they conducted "successful airstrikes" against four militant hideouts in Kabul and frontier provinces and that an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport was destroyed.

An eyewitness account

Abdul Wahid, a 29-year-old daily labourer, told reporters his house was hit at about 12:10am local time. He and four family members were wounded. His description is stark and simple.

"Suddenly, a noise came from another house. I dont know what happened afterwards. All these bricks fell on me. Women and children were under the rubble as well," he said. "I was there for 10 minutes as if it was my last breath. Then my neighbours came and removed the bricks and took us to the clinic."

Casualties and displacement

Officials in Kabul said the latest deaths bring the confirmed toll in Afghanistan to seven people killed since the start of the week, though that number could rise with fresh reports. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reported that 56 civilians were killed by Pakistani military operations between 26 February and 5 March, including 24 children.

Pakistani authorities reported military losses too, saying about 12 soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in the recent fighting. The Taliban has put a much higher figure on Pakistani military casualties, claiming more than 150.

The UN also says roughly 115,000 people have been forced to leave their homes amid the clashes.

Why both sides say they are right

Islamabad insists it does not target civilians and says the strikes are aimed at militants, pointing fingers at fighters from the Pakistan Taliban and the ISIS affiliate in Khorasan province, whom it accuses Kabul of harbouring. Afghan authorities deny providing safe haven to those groups.

Independent verification of many of the casualty claims is difficult. International calls for restraint appear to have had little effect as skirmishing continues.

Context

The current flare-up intensified on 26 February after Afghanistan launched an offensive along the shared border. Afghan officials framed that move as retaliation for earlier Pakistani strikes against the Pakistan Taliban. The clashes come at a fraught moment regionally, as a larger conflict in the Middle East has been unfolding, adding to international concern.

Bottom line

Both capitals cast the other as the aggressor. Civilians are the ones paying the price. Homes, fuel facilities, and lives have been hit, and tens of thousands are on the move. For anyone hoping the international community will step in and halt the violence overnight, reality is more complicated and slower than that.