Taliban soldiers sit next to an anti-aircraft gun as they watch over Pakistani fighter jets, in Khost province, Afghanistan, in February 2026., on February 27, 2026 Reuters Afghanistan said on Wednesday that Pakistan had launched new airstrikes targeting the country, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others, in yet another sign of escalating tensions between the two neighbors after months of fighting that has left hundreds dead. Although the situation along the border was calm hours after the bombings, Kabul has responded to previous Pakistani attacks by targeting Pakistani posts along the border. The Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the latest airstrikes targeted the Afghan provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika, and killed 11 children, a woman and an elderly man. There was no immediate acknowledgment of the attacks on Afghan territory by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Pakistani military forces. Now on g1 The attacks occurred a day after suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint in the Hasan Khel area in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. The attack triggered an intense firefight in which six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others were injured, according to Pakistan's Interior Ministry. Local authorities said on Tuesday that security forces killed eight of the attackers and thwarted an attempt to storm the checkpoint. Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi later attended the funeral prayers for the slain agents in Peshawar, the ministry said. Naqvi paid tribute to the dead and expressed condolences to their families, saying their sacrifices would not be forgotten. He also said that Pakistan remains united in its fight against militancy and that operations against groups threatening peace and security will be intensified. Pakistan and Afghanistan have been involved in clashes since late February, when Afghanistan carried out attacks against Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani air raids inside Afghan territory. In February, Pakistan declared itself at open war with Afghanistan following a rise in militant attacks against civilians and security forces on Pakistani soil. Afghanistan said a deadly Pakistani airstrike in March hit a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. The death toll could not be independently confirmed. Pakistan disputed the claim and denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot. This latest development comes months after China mediated peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Urumqi, northern China. Beijing later stated that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed not to escalate the conflict and to seek a solution. Officials in Pakistan said Beijing and some other partner countries were still encouraging both sides to reach an agreement for lasting peace. Masood Khan, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Pakistan's priority is to end attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil. Khan said the solution to the tension lies in implementing a decree by Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordering the TTP to stop attacks on Pakistan. “This decree must be implemented sincerely and faithfully,” he said. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the group known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since taking power in 2021, amid the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops. Kabul denies the accusation. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has remained closed to bilateral trade since October, leaving thousands of people stranded.