Pakistani airstrikes killed 13 people in Afghanistan's Khost province on June 10, including 11 children, in what Pakistan's military described as a counterterrorism operation against separatist militants. The Taliban government condemned the strikes and demanded an international investigation. [1]

The strikes hit the village of Spera, approximately 12 kilometers from the Afghan-Pakistani border, at approximately 11:30 local time. Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation targeted "Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts" that had been used to launch attacks into Pakistani territory. [2]

Afghan witnesses described a different scene. Two aircraft — identified by residents as Chinese-made JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, operated by the Pakistan Air Force — dropped four bombs on a residential compound. The compound housed three families. Thirteen bodies were recovered, including those of 11 children between the ages of 3 and 14. Two adult women also died. No military-aged males were killed. [3]

The Strike

The village of Spera sits in a valley flanked by mountain ridges that straddle the Durand Line — the colonial-era border between Pakistan and Afghanistan that neither country fully recognizes. The area has long been a transit point for militants moving between the two countries, and Pakistan has conducted cross-border operations in the region before. [4]

But this strike was different in scale and in the civilian toll. Pakistani military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Geo News that the operation was based on intelligence indicating a TTP leadership meeting was underway at the compound. No evidence of the meeting has been produced. The ISPR statement described the targets as "terrorist infrastructure" without specifying what that infrastructure was. [5]

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense released a statement calling the strikes "a blatant violation of Afghan sovereignty" and demanding that Pakistan "cease its aggressive operations on Afghan soil." Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the group was "investigating the full scope of the attack" and would "respond appropriately." [6]

The Taliban's response was notably restrained. Previous Pakistani cross-border operations — including a February strike that killed 8 people — drew threats of retaliation that were carried out within days. On June 10, the response was a demand for investigation, a statement of condemnation, and a request for international mediation. The restraint suggested the Taliban government, which took power in 2021, is navigating a narrow path between domestic pressure to respond and the strategic reality that it cannot afford a conflict with Pakistan. [7]

The Children

The 11 children killed in the Spera strike were from three families: the Naik family (four children, ages 3, 7, 9, and 12), the Wazir family (three children, ages 5, 8, and 14), and the Khan family (four children, ages 4, 6, 10, and 11). Their parents — all surviving — described the scene to TOLO News. [8]

"My children were playing in the courtyard," said Gul Wazir, father of three of the killed children. "There was no warning. There was no shooting. There was no military activity. My children were not soldiers." [9]

The images from Spera — bodies wrapped in white cloth being carried through dusty streets, mourning women collapsing — circulated rapidly on Afghan social media. The hashtag #SperaMassacre trended in Afghanistan and Pakistan throughout the afternoon. [10]

Pakistan's military history in the border region is marked by similar incidents. A 2022 strike in Paktika province killed 47 civilians, including 20 children, in what Pakistan said was an operation against ISIS-K. A 2024 strike in Kunar province killed 12 people. In each case, Pakistan described the operation as a counterterrorism necessity and expressed "regret" for civilian casualties. In each case, the civilian toll was higher than the military target. [11]

The Strategic Context

The Spera strike occurred against a backdrop of worsening Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Pakistan has accused the Afghan government of sheltering TTP militants who launch cross-border attacks. The Taliban has accused Pakistan of using counterterrorism as a pretext for violating Afghan sovereignty. [12]

The relationship deteriorated further after Pakistan's February 2026 operation in Paktika, which killed 8 people and prompted the Taliban to close the Torkham border crossing for three weeks. The closure disrupted trade worth an estimated $2.5 billion annually and stranded thousands of travelers on both sides. [13]

China — which borders both countries and has invested heavily in the Belt and Road Initiative through Pakistan — has attempted to mediate. Beijing's special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, met with Taliban and Pakistani officials in March, but produced no visible progress. The Spera strike suggests that neither side has accepted China's mediation framework. [14]

For the 11 children of Spera, the strategic context is irrelevant. They were killed by bombs dropped from aircraft operated by a country that shares their language, their religion, and their ethnicity. The strikes were described as targeting "terrorists." The evidence of that targeting — a leadership meeting, military infrastructure, operational planning — has not been produced. What has been produced are 13 bodies, 11 of them children, in a village that had no military significance before June 10. [15]

-- PRIYA SHARMA, Delhi