KABUL — Mortar shells and missiles fired from Pakistan struck a university and residential areas in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least seven people and wounding 85 others, Afghan officials said. The attack targeted the city of Khost, near the border with Pakistan, in what local authorities described as an unprovoked escalation of cross-border violence.
Provincial spokesman Mawlawi Hamidullah Hamid confirmed the casualties in a statement to local media, adding that the strikes hit the campus of Shaikh Zayed University and several homes in the surrounding neighborhoods. “The attack caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including classrooms and residential buildings,” Hamid said. “We condemn this aggression in the strongest terms.”
The Afghan Ministry of Defense later issued a statement attributing the attack to Pakistani military forces, though Islamabad has not publicly commented on the allegations. A spokesperson for the ministry said the strikes were part of a pattern of “indiscriminate shelling” that has intensified in recent months along the porous border, which has long been a flashpoint between the two countries.
In Khost, witnesses described scenes of chaos as students and residents fled the university campus after the first explosions. “We heard loud bangs and then saw smoke rising from the buildings,” said Ahmad Wali, a 22-year-old student who was on campus at the time. “People were running in every direction. Some were injured, and others were just trying to gain to safety.”
The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have accused each other of harboring militant groups operating along their shared border. Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has repeatedly called on Pakistan to respect its sovereignty, even as Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to curb cross-border attacks by groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates from Afghan territory.
At the United Nations, Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council to address the “violation of Afghan sovereignty.” In a letter to the council, Faiq described the strikes as a “clear breach of international law” and demanded an independent investigation. The request has not yet been scheduled for discussion.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has not responded to requests for comment, though in past incidents, Islamabad has denied targeting civilian areas and instead blamed Afghan forces for failing to secure the border. The two countries share a 2,600-kilometer frontier, much of which remains unmarked and contested, complicating efforts to prevent cross-border clashes.
In the aftermath of the attack, Afghan health officials scrambled to treat the wounded, many of whom were transported to Khost Regional Hospital. Dr. Mohammad Nabi, the hospital’s director, said the facility was overwhelmed by the influx of patients, with some requiring emergency surgery. “We are doing everything One can, but the number of casualties is straining our resources,” he said.
The Taliban government, which has been in power since August 2021, has faced criticism for its handling of border security, with some analysts suggesting that its focus on internal governance has left it ill-prepared to respond to external threats. However, the group has consistently denied these claims, insisting that it is committed to maintaining stability along the frontier.
For now, the border remains volatile, with both sides trading accusations of provocation. Afghan officials have vowed to respond “appropriately” to the latest strikes, though no specific retaliatory measures have been announced. Meanwhile, residents of Khost say they are living in fear of further attacks, with some considering relocating to safer areas.
At the Shaikh Zayed University campus, classes have been suspended indefinitely as authorities assess the damage. Students and faculty have been advised to stay away from the area until further notice, leaving the future of the academic term uncertain.
