A new crisis has emerged in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the spokesperson of the Afghan Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed on Tuesday that Pakistan conducted late-night airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

In a statement shared on the social media platform X, Mujahid said that Pakistan bombed Khost province and also carried out attacks in Kunar and Paktika provinces, claiming that ten people were killed. So far, Pakistan has not issued any official response. These alleged strikes were reported on the same day a deadly suicide attack targeted the Federal Constabulary (FC) headquarters in Peshawar, killing three personnel and injuring several others.

The main source of tension between the two neighbours is cross-border terrorism by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan has repeatedly demanded that the Kabul government take action to stop militants from using Afghan territory for attacks, but the Afghan Taliban have strongly denied the allegations, insisting that no terrorist groups are being allowed to operate from their soil.

After border clashes in October, talks were initiated under the mediation of Turkey and Qatar to work on a lasting peace framework. However, disagreements persisted, and following the third round of talks on November 7, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that discussions on cross-border terrorism had “ended” and were now at an indefinite standstill. Following the failure of these talks, the Afghan Taliban suspended trade relations with Islamabad, while Pakistan had already closed the border after the October clashes.

Turkey has now announced a visit by its senior officials to Pakistan to help reduce tensions, which Islamabad has welcomed. However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) has clarified that the resumption of trade with Afghanistan depends on the Taliban government stopping cross-border terrorism. The future of key regional energy projects is also contingent on preventing support to terrorist groups.