Pakistan carried out a series of airstrikes inside eastern Afghanistan on Monday night, killing 10 people nine of them children according to officials of the Taliban-run Afghan government. The strikes reportedly targeted residential areas in Khost province, where a house belonging to a local man, identified as Wilayat Khan, was hit and completely destroyed. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that five boys and four girls, along with one woman, were killed in the Khost strike. Additional air raids in Kunar and Paktika provinces left at least four civilians injured. He condemned the bombings as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and warned that the Afghan authorities would “respond appropriately at the right time.”

The strikes came shortly after a deadly suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, which targeted a paramilitary headquarters and resulted in multiple casualties. Pakistani officials have yet to issue a formal statement regarding the airstrikes or the Taliban’s allegations. Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have been steadily rising in recent months as both sides accuse each other of allowing militant groups to operate across the border. The latest incident has placed further strain on an already weakening ceasefire arrangement between the two countries, raising fears of deeper conflict along the volatile frontier.

Afghan authorities say investigations are underway and that they will present evidence of civilian casualties to international partners. Meanwhile, residents in the affected districts remain in shock, with many families reportedly displaced following the overnight bombings.