Children among victims in Pakistan’s shelling in Afghanistan: Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban government reported that four members of a nomad family, including two children, were killed early Thursday by Pakistani artillery and mortar fire in Sadqo village, Khost province. Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat detailed the deaths of one woman, one man, a girl and a boy, with three other children wounded. The provincial governor’s office confirmed the same toll.

The incident brings the total to seven people killed in Afghanistan since Tuesday amid cross-border clashes, according to authorities in Kabul. Fitrat previously reported three civilians killed by Pakistani shells Tuesday in neighboring Paktia province, a toll corroborated by medical sources to AFP.

Clashes intensified on Feb. 26 after Afghanistan launched an offensive in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes targeting Pakistan Taliban fighters. Pakistan accuses Kabul of harboring Pakistan Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan fighters, charges denied by Afghan authorities. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi stated operations are targeted with due diligence to avoid civilian harm.

The UN mission in Afghanistan reported 56 civilians killed, including 24 children, by Pakistani military operations from Feb. 26 to March 5, with about 115,000 people displaced.

Pakistani officials confirmed 12 soldiers killed and 27 wounded, while Taliban claims exceed 150 enemy killed. Casualty figures from both sides are difficult to verify independently.

In related regional developments, Ariana News reported Iran’s IRGC claimed to have targeted the Safesea Vishnu oil tanker, linked to a U.S. company and flying the Marshall Islands flag, in the northern Strait of Hormuz after it ignored warnings. The IRGC blamed U.S. actions for rising tensions and urged ships to follow Iranian maritime rules. This follows U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran since Feb. 28, which Iranian officials say killed 1,300 and wounded over 10,000; Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel, Iraq and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases.

Separately, Khaama Press cited Iranian media including ISNA reporting explosions near the U.S. embassy in Riyadh on March 12, as well as attacks in Dubai, Bahrain and the UAE. No casualties or damage were confirmed, with verification ongoing.