Afghan officials say Pakistani mortar attack kills four civilians in Khost

Afghan officials say at least four civilians, including three children and a woman, were killed after Pakistani forces fired mortar shells across the border into eastern Afghanistan overnight between Sunday and Monday.

According to authorities in Afghanistan, the latest fatalities occurred in Khost province, where cross-border exchanges have intensified in recent weeks. Officials say the incident is part of a broader surge in violence along the frontier that has already claimed the lives of at least 18 civilians in the country over the past week.

Mustaghfir Gurbuz, spokesperson for the governor in Khost province, said mortar rounds struck Nari village in the Gurbuz district shortly after midnight. The attack killed a woman and a child, he said, adding that additional shells landed in nearby areas.

He said further strikes targeted a market, a health clinic and another village in the district, leaving four people injured, including a woman. Two of the wounded were reported to be in critical condition.

Separately, the governor’s office said two children died on Sunday night when mortar shells struck the Dubai area of Khost province. In another incident the same day, a civilian was killed in eastern Nuristan province after shelling hit a residential house, according to deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat.

Independent confirmation of the casualties remains difficult because many of the affected locations are remote and hard to access along the mountainous Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

Both Islamabad and Kabul authorities insist their forces do not deliberately target civilians. However, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Friday that at least 75 civilians have been killed since clashes between the two countries escalated on 26 February.

Tensions between the neighbouring states have been building for months. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of providing safe haven to militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the armed group responsible for a wave of attacks inside Pakistan. Islamabad has also linked militant activity to the Islamic State Khorasan Province. The Afghan Taliban authorities reject those allegations.

The latest flare-up follows a series of military actions along the border. Afghan forces launched an offensive on 26 February, which they described as retaliation for earlier Pakistani air strikes that Islamabad said were aimed at TTP targets. Pakistan later announced an “open war” against the Taliban administration and carried out air strikes on Kabul on 27 February.

The confrontation has further strained already fragile relations between the two countries. Heavy fighting in October last year resulted in dozens of deaths and led to the near-complete closure of key border crossings.

Although tensions temporarily eased after mediation efforts, the conflict has intensified again in recent weeks. The United Nations refugee agency says around 115,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.

Humanitarian organisations warn the situation could worsen if the clashes continue. The World Food Programme said it has begun distributing emergency food assistance to more than 20,000 displaced Afghan families and cautioned that further instability could push millions closer to hunger.