Taliban spokesperson alleges Pakistan conducted overnight strikes inside Afghanistan

Spokesperson for the Taliban government, Zabiullah Mujahid alleged that Pakistan had conducted overnight strikes inside Afghanistan. He claimed that Khost province had been “bombed”, with additional air strikes carried out in Kunar and Paktika. 

Pakistan has not yet responded as an official response to these accusations.

The reported strikes came on the same day a suicide blast targeted the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Pakistan, resulting in the martyrdom of three personnel and injuries to 12 others.

At least two explosions were heard in Peshawar’s Saddar area after the Federal Constabulary (FC) Headquarters came under attack early Monday morning. An operation was launched soon after, and traffic was closed on Saddar Road and Sunheri Masjid Road.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad confirmed that all three terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with FC and police personnel, adding that their attempt to cause major damage was thwarted by the swift response of the security forces.

As per reports, three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel embraced martyrdom while two were injured. Three other civilians were also wounded in the attack.

Accoding to the authorities, the gunned down terrorists hailed fom Afghanistan. 

Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan have been increasingly tense in recent months, largely due to Islamabad’s repeated complaints that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continues to operate from Afghan territory. The Afghan Taliban leadership, however, rejects these accusations and insists that no militant group is being allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.

Efforts to defuse the situation had been underway since the border clashes in October, when both sides initiated a dialogue aimed at creating mechanisms for long-term peace and stability. The second round of these discussions opened in Ankara on October 25, but Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later confirmed that the talks ended without any tangible progress.

Even so, mediators Turkiye and Qatar stepped in to revive the process. Their intervention resulted in a joint statement on October 31, noting that further implementation details would be addressed at a high-level meeting scheduled in Istanbul in November. But on November 7, following the third round of negotiations, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared that dialogue on cross-border terrorism had stalled and entered an “indefinite phase” due to major unresolved differences.

In the aftermath of the failed talks, the Afghan Taliban halted trade with Pakistan, a move that followed Islamabad’s own earlier decision to close the border soon after the October clashes.