International Desk: At least seven people have been killed and 75 others injured after Pakistani attacks struck Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, with students and a professor from Kunar University among the victims, according to multiple sources speaking to the BBC.
Officials from the Taliban administration claim that 30 of the injured are university students, raising serious concerns over the targeting of civilian and educational spaces. However, Pakistan’s information ministry has denied any involvement in attacks on the university or nearby residential areas, dismissing the reports as fabricated.
The latest violence follows earlier outrage over a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, which the United Nations says resulted in 269 deaths—further intensifying scrutiny of Islamabad’s military actions.
Conflicting accounts continue to emerge about the Kunar assault. Taliban authorities report the use of mortars and rockets, while other sources indicate that jets and drones were deployed. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and devastation, with explosions echoing across the university campus.
A professor present during the attack recounted hearing “terrifying blasts,” while journalist and human rights activist Matiullah Shahab said he witnessed civilians fleeing in fear as bombardment struck around 14:00 local time. Several wounded civilians were reportedly rushed to hospitals for urgent treatment.
Afghanistan’s higher education ministry confirmed extensive damage to university infrastructure, underscoring the broader impact on the country’s already fragile education system.
The incident marks a sharp escalation despite a fragile ceasefire brokered in early April following talks in Urumqi with Chinese mediation. Taliban officials, who had largely remained silent to preserve diplomatic efforts, have now broken that silence. Deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat condemned the strikes as “grave and inexcusable war crimes” and a “blatant act of brutality.”
While Pakistan maintains that its operations are aimed at militant hideouts, critics argue that repeated civilian casualties and attacks on non-military sites point to a deeply troubling pattern.
Tensions between the two sides have surged in recent months, with hundreds reportedly killed or injured in cross-border clashes, signalling a deteriorating security situation in the region.
