‘War crime’: Afghan-Pakistan truce under strain after university strike

Afghan Taliban authorities claim Pakistani mortar and missile strikes hit a university and residential areas in Kunar province on Monday, resulting in at least seven deaths and over 80 injuries, including students and professors. The Taliban spokesperson labeled these actions "unforgivable war crimes." Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has denied striking the university, calling the reports a "blatant lie" and stating their targeting is "precise and intelligence based." Despite an ongoing ceasefire, both Afghan and Pakistani officials have confirmed exchanges of fire along their shared border, with Kunar being a border province. These competing claims and heightened tensions threaten the fragile ceasefire, casting a shadow over recent peace talks held in China.

Afghanistan reported that Pakistani mortar and missile strikes on Monday killed seven people and wounded 85 in the northeastern province of Kunar, including at a university. Pakistan denied targeting the university, calling the accusation a "blatant lie." This incident is the first major attack since Chinese-mediated peace talks earlier this month, which aimed to de-escalate months of deadly cross-border fighting. Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of harboring militants, while Pakistan claims Afghanistan shelters groups like the Pakistani Taliban. The strikes underscore the fragility of peace efforts between the two nations.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other of launching cross-border attacks, jeopardizing a ceasefire agreed upon last month. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities reported four people killed and 45 injured in mortar and rocket attacks in Kunar province, including strikes on homes and a university. Pakistan's Information Ministry denied these claims, calling them a "blatant lie" and stating no university was attacked. Conversely, Pakistani officials reported at least three civilians injured by gunfire in South Waziristan, describing it as the most serious clash since the ceasefire. These incidents mark the first significant violence since the two nations agreed to halt hostilities during peace talks mediated by China, highlighting the ongoing fraught relations between them.

Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of launching an attack on a university in Kunar province, resulting in extensive damage to buildings and injuries to civilians. The Afghan higher education ministry confirmed the damage, with witnesses reporting people fleeing the town center. This accusation breaks a period of silence from the Taliban government, which had previously refrained from public criticism of Pakistan to avoid jeopardizing ongoing negotiations. The Taliban's deputy spokesman labeled the strikes as "grave and inexcusable war crimes." Pakistan has historically stated its air strikes target militant hideouts in Afghanistan, and relations between the two countries have been strained due to accusations of Afghanistan harboring the Pakistan Taliban group.