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First Strike After Talks
Pakistan and Afghanistan traded accusations of cross-border attacks on Monday, with the dispute centered on strikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar province that hit a university and civilian homes.
“Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused one another of launching new cross-border attacks”
The Guardian reported that “Mortars and missiles fired from Pakistan on Monday struck a university and civilian homes in north-eastern Afghanistan,” killing seven people and wounding “at least 85,” according to Afghan officials.
The BBC similarly said the attacks on the east Afghan province of Kunar “have killed at least seven people and injured 75,” including “students and a professor at Kunar University.”
The Guardian added that the strikes were “the first violent incident since Chinese-mediated peace talks between the two sides earlier this month,” and that the two countries had agreed not to escalate their conflict after talks in Urumqi.
Al Jazeera framed the same moment as a threat to diplomacy, saying “The resumption of violence threatens fragile peace talks between the neighbours.”
Across the accounts, the location of the alleged attack was consistent: the city of Asadabad, described as “the capital of Kunar province,” and the university there.
The Guardian also reported that Afghan deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said the mortar and missile attack struck “the city of Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, and other areas in the province,” while the Kunar Information and Culture director Najibullah Hanafi said “the death toll stood at seven, with 85 people wounded.”
Ceasefire, Escalation, and the Durand Line
The Monday strikes landed after a ceasefire and a mediation process that both sides had described as fragile.
The Guardian said the violence was “the first major attack since the discussions,” and it linked the moment to “Chinese-mediated peace talks between the two sides earlier this month.”
It also described the broader escalation timeline: Pakistan and Afghanistan had been “embroiled in months of deadly fighting that has killed hundreds of people since late February,” after Afghanistan launched “a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.”
The Guardian added that Islamabad had declared it was in “open war” with Afghanistan, and it traced the fighting’s partial easing to “a temporary truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr,” after “a deadly Pakistani airstrike on 17 March on a drug treatment facility in Kabul” that Afghanistan said killed “more than 400 civilians.”
Al Jazeera echoed the ceasefire framing, saying “The two countries agreed on a fragile ceasefire in March that halted weeks of deadly violence,” and it described the resumption of attacks as a break in the pause.
The BBC provided additional detail on the ceasefire’s diplomatic management, saying that “During this ceasefire, leaders of the Taliban government decided not to speak publicly about Pakistan or any of its earlier air strikes so as to not jeopardise negotiations.”
The BBC further described the conflict’s trigger in February as an operation “along the 2,640km (1,640-mile) Durand Line,” and it said Pakistan responded with air strikes on Kabul and other cities.
Competing Narratives and Direct Accusations
In the immediate aftermath, Afghan officials condemned the alleged attacks and Pakistan’s information ministry rejected them, with both sides using the same language of “blatant lie” and “frivolous and fake.”
The Guardian quoted Pakistan’s information ministry stating: “Pakistan’s targeting is precise and intelligence-based. No strike has been carried out on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University. The claims are frivolous and fake.”
Al Jazeera carried a parallel denial, saying “Pakistan’s Information Ministry dismissed the report as a “blatant lie” and insisted that there had been no attack on the university.”
On the Afghan side, Al Jazeera quoted Taliban Deputy Spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat condemning the alleged actions, writing: “We strongly condemn these attacks by the Pakistani military regime, in which ordinary people, academic, and educational institutions were targeted, and declare them unforgivable war crimes,” and it added that the spokesman said the attacks “wounded 45 people.”
The BBC also reported the Taliban deputy spokesman’s language, saying Fitrat described the strikes on Kunar as “grave and inexcusable war crimes, a blatant act of brutality, and a provocative action.”
The BBC included on-the-ground testimony from Matiullah Shahab, who told it he was “a kilometre away from the attack on the university” and heard “the sound of a bombardment at around 14:00 (09:30 GMT).”
Dawn added that the information ministry called the Afghan media claim a “blatant lie and an attempt to gain sympathy to cover up support [provided] by Afghan Taliban to Fitna al Khawarij.”
Numbers, Methods, and Who Was Hit
While the core allegation—strikes near Asadabad and at Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University—was shared across outlets, the reported casualty counts and even the alleged methods of attack varied.
The Guardian said the strikes killed “seven people and wounding at least 85,” and it specified that Hamdullah Fitrat said the wounded included “women, children and students at the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University,” while Afghanistan’s higher education ministry said “about 30 students and professors were injured.”
The BBC reported “at least seven people and injured 75,” and it stated that “According to the Taliban government, 30 of the injured are university students.”
Al Jazeera, by contrast, said the Taliban authorities reported “four people were killed” in attacks in Kunar and that Hamdullah Fitrat said the Pakistani military had launched mortar and rocket attacks that “wounded 45 people.”
Anadolu Ajansı reported “At least three people were killed and 45 others injured” in a missile attack “allegedly by Pakistan,” citing Najibullah Hanif’s comments to Tolo News.
The BBC also differed on the alleged weapon types, saying “other sources told the BBC that jets and drones had been used,” while the Taliban said “mortars and rockets were fired.”
Al Jazeera added that Pakistani officials reported “at least three civilians were injured by gunfire in South Waziristan,” and it described that border forces said it was “the most serious clash since the ceasefire was declared.”
What Comes Next for Peace
The competing claims and shifting casualty figures fed directly into fears that the ceasefire and peace talks could unravel.
“Pakistan accused of attacking Afghan university Pakistani attacks on the east Afghan province of Kunar have killed at least seven people and injured 75, among whom are students and a professor at Kunar University, multiple sources have told the BBC”
Al Jazeera explicitly tied Monday’s violence to the diplomatic process, saying “The resumption of violence threatens fragile peace talks between the neighbours,” and it described the resumption as coming after “the two countries agreed on a fragile ceasefire in March.”
It also said the strikes were “the first major attack since the pair had agreed to halt the violence at peace talks last month, mediated by China,” and it noted that Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had also made efforts to halt the conflict.
The Guardian similarly emphasized the tenuous nature of the process, stating that Monday’s strikes “highlight[ed] the tenuous nature of peace efforts mediated by the international community.”
The Guardian also placed the immediate diplomatic context in early April, saying Afghan and Pakistani officials met in Urumqi in western China and “had agreed not to escalate their conflict, China’s government said after mediating the talks.”
The News Pakistan outlet framed the dispute as part of an information war, asserting that the ministry said the claims were part of a “misinformation campaign aimed at gaining sympathy.”
The Guardian added a humanitarian dimension by reporting that the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in Afghanistan said the conflict had displaced “94,000 people overall.”
