The Foreign Office on Saturday said it was "looking into" reports of alleged action by Pakistani forces in the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Khost.

The FO's response was to claims made by an Afghan government official and a resident in Kunar province that Pakistani forces fired rockets early today, leaving six people dead.

“Five children and a woman were killed and a man wounded,” provincial director of information Najibullah Hassan Abdaal alleged.

Ehsanullah, a resident of Shelton district where the alleged attack reportedly took place, said it was carried out by Pakistani military aircraft. Ehsanullah goes by one name as many Afghans do.

Another Afghan government official alleged that a pre-dawn bombardment was carried out in Afghanistan's Khost province near the border with Pakistan.

The official, on condition of anonymity, alleged that "Pakistani helicopters bombarded four villages" in Khost, adding that "there were casualties".

An Afghan tribal elder from Khost, Gul Markhan, also spoke to the AFP regarding the incident in Khost.

Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, has so far not responded to queries about allegations from the Afghan side and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has not yet issued a statement in this regard.

Also today, an Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Deputy Defence Minister Mullah Shirin Akhund met with the Pakistani ambassador and “condemned the recent attacks on Khost and Kunar provinces, stressing prevention of such acts".

“Minister Muttaqi said all military violations, including that in Khost and Kunar must be prevented as such acts deteriorate relations between the two countries, allowing antagonists to misuse the situation leading to undesired consequences,” the statement said.

It added the Pakistani envoy was given a strong demarche.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also condemned the alleged attacks.

"IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) calls on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues."

He added: "Problems between the two countries must be resolved through political means."

MNA Mohsin Dawar also raised the issue in today's National Assembly session, terming the reported incident as a "highly tragic one".

He claimed that the alleged victims were internally displaced persons from North Waziristan who had crossed into Afghanistan before the start of Zarb-i-Azab.

"Yesterday night, Pakistan Army and air force's planes carried out bombardments across the Afghan border and over 40 people were martyred in that," the MNA said.

On Friday, the Pakistan army said terrorists ambushed a military convoy near the Pak-Afghan border in the general area of Isham, North Waziristan District, martyring seven Pakistani security men.

“Own troops initiated a prompt response, effectively engaged and killed four terrorists. However, during an intense exchange of fire, seven soldiers embraced Shahadat,” the ISPR had said.

Pakistan has long been saying that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has been using Afghan soil for attacks on Pakistani border posts.

Opinion

Editorial

Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...
Soaring costs
13 Mar, 2026

Soaring costs

FOR millions of households already grappling with Ramazan inflation, the sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices...
Perilous lines
13 Mar, 2026

Perilous lines

THE law minister’s veiled warning to the media to “exercise caution” and not cross “red lines” while...
Collective security
Updated 12 Mar, 2026

Collective security

Regional states need to sit down and talk. They must also pledge and work towards collective security.
Spectrum leap
12 Mar, 2026

Spectrum leap

THE sale of 480 MHz of fifth-generation telecom spectrum for $507m is a major milestone in Pakistan’s digital...
Toxic fallout
12 Mar, 2026

Toxic fallout

WARS can leave environmental scars that remain long after the fighting is over. The strikes on Iran’s oil...