Explosions rock Kabul as Afghanistan blames Pakistan for airstrikes as tensions escalate

Afghan authorities on Monday (March 16) accused neighbouring Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on Kabul, after loud explosions were heard across the Afghan capital and air defence systems were activated. According to reports, several blasts occurred between 9:00 pm and 9:15 pm local time. Smoke was seen rising from areas including Shahr-e-Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan in central Kabul. Residents described scenes of panic as families rushed outside their homes seeking safety. One mother was seen calling for her son to return indoors as explosions shook the neighbourhood.

The strikes came just days before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, forcing many people who had just finished their evening fast to flee their homes and search for shelter. Some residents took cover in basements while others ran into the streets. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that the Pakistani military had “once again violated Afghan territory”, describing the attack as a crime and an act of inhumanity.

Pakistan has carried out several strikes in Afghanistan in recent weeks. The attacks are linked to growing tensions between the two countries, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border attacks. Mujahid claimed the latest strike hit a drug treatment centre and resulted in civilian casualties, although this could not be independently verified. Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The anti-aircraft firing stopped around 10:00 pm, after which ambulance sirens were heard across the city.

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Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated sharply in October last year, causing dozens of deaths. Although the fighting briefly subsided, clashes resumed last month, with Pakistan describing the situation as an “open war”. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reported on Friday that at least 75 civilians have died since February 26 as violence between the two sides intensified. Both governments insist that civilians are not deliberately targeted, although cross-border shelling and airstrikes are frequently reported in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

Afghan officials said Pakistani shelling overnight between Sunday and Monday killed three children and a woman in eastern Afghanistan. Authorities in Khost province said mortar fire from Pakistan killed two children in the Dubai area on Sunday night. Another person died in Nuristan province when shelling struck a civilian home, according to deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. Afghan authorities say at least 18 civilians have been killed in the past week due to cross-border clashes.

The ongoing violence has disrupted trade and displaced around 115,000 people, according to the UN refugee agency.

The World Food Programme said it has begun distributing emergency food assistance to more than 20,000 displaced Afghan families and warned that continued instability could push millions closer to hunger. On Monday morning, more than 100 displaced people gathered at a WFP distribution site in Paktia province near the eastern border to receive fortified biscuits and emergency food supplies.