Three civilians killed in Bajaur in unprovoked bombing by Afghan Taliban across the border: security sources

Three civilians, including two children, were killed and three others injured on Wednesday when Afghan Taliban forces carried out unprovoked shelling on residents in a border area in Bajaur district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa state, according to state media.

This incident marks a new episode of cross-border aggression after a hiatus of more than a month, following Operation Ghazab Lil Haq launched by Pakistan in response to unprovoked hostility from the Afghan side.

In an article on X, public television channel PTV News said, citing security sources, that the “unprovoked aggression of the Indian-backed Afghan Taliban on the civilian population in the border village of Malak Shahin in the Kat Kot area of ​​Bajaur” martyred a woman and two children from the same house, while three were seriously injured, who were later taken to hospital for treatment.

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“The Afghan Taliban attempted to infiltrate a formation of the khawarij troublemakers in Pakistan in recent days. Thanks to the timely action of the Pakistani army, the attempted infiltration of the khawarij the troublemakers were foiled. Frustrated by this failure, the Afghan Taliban today targeted the Pakistani civilian population in Kat Kot,” the statement said.

He added that the Pakistani army reacted immediately and destroyed the gun position by firing from across the border.

He further said that Pakistani forces were also targeting Afghan Taliban posts along the Bajaur border, inflicting heavy casualties and leading to heavy casualties for the Afghan Taliban.

“The people of Bajaur strongly condemned this cowardly act and expressed their full solidarity with the security forces. The security forces remain vigilant and determined at all times to protect the lives and property of the people and establish lasting peace in the region. The targeting of the civilian population by the Afghan Taliban is a clear proof of their nefarious intentions and frustration,” the statement said.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched towards the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on several sites, provoking rapid military retaliation from Pakistan.

Since then, neighboring countries have engaged in an escalation of hostilities along the border. The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani airstrikes targeting terrorist positions and eased during a temporary ceasefire to mark Eidul Fitr.

The escalation of tensions between the two countries follows a series of retaliatory actions over the past year.

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Pakistan had earlier carried out airstrikes against camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State’s Khorasan province in Afghanistan after a wave of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Islamabad has long maintained that TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory, an allegation that Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Tensions also increased after a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year. Taliban forces then targeted areas along the Pakistani border, prompting Islamabad to respond with cross-border bombings.

The exchanges caused casualties and damage to infrastructure on both sides and led to the suspension of trade after the closure of border crossings on October 12, 2025.