Deadly Escalation: Seven Pakistani Police Killed in IED Blast, Afghanistan Accuses Islamabad of Civilian Deaths in Airstrikes
Cross-border hostilities intensify as militant attack kills police in Lakki Marwat, while Kabul claims retaliatory strikes hit residential areas
ISLAMABAD/KABUL — March 13, 2026 — At least seven Pakistani police personnel were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the country’s northwest on Friday, as neighboring Afghanistan accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes that killed six civilians, including women and children, marking a further escalation in the deadliest cross-border conflict between the two countries in years .
The IED blast targeted a police vehicle on routine patrol in the Shadi Khel Bettani area of Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police officials . The roadside device detonated with significant force near the Rasool Khel check post, striking the police mobile directly and killing six officers instantly .
Global markets steady after oil price plunge as Middle East conflict fuels volatility.
Station House Officer (SHO) Sadr Azam, police driver Shah Bahram, and constables Shah Khalid, Haji Muhammad, Gul Zada, and Sakhi Zada died at the scene . A seventh officer, Constable Insafuddin, sustained critical injuries and later succumbed to them while receiving medical treatment at a hospital .
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion is likely to fall on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, which frequently claims such assaults on security forces . The TTP has intensified its attacks inside Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021 .
Security forces cordoned off the blast site and launched a search operation, collecting evidence as efforts continue to trace the perpetrators, authorities stated .
Government Response
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took immediate notice of the incident and strongly condemned the attack . According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Afridi has sought a detailed report from the Inspector General of Police .
The Chief Minister expressed deep sorrow over the killing of the police personnel, terming the loss of lives as “extremely tragic” . He affirmed that the provincial government stands in complete solidarity with the families of the martyrs during this difficult time and directed authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical facilities to the injured .
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people and security forces,” Afridi said in a statement .
Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Civilian Deaths in Airstrikes
As Pakistan grappled with the internal militant attack, its cross-border military operations continued to draw condemnation from Afghan authorities. Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan’s military of conducting fresh airstrikes overnight that killed at least six civilians and injured more than a dozen others across multiple Afghan provinces .
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media platform X that Pakistani aircraft struck locations in Kabul, the southern province of Kandahar, and the eastern provinces of Paktia and Paktika . In Kabul, homes in residential areas were hit, according to Khalid Zadran, spokesman for Kabul police .
Kabul police initially reported four civilians killed and 15 injured in the capital . However, Mujahid’s statement later indicated the total death toll across all targeted provinces had risen to six, with women and children among the dead . The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) separately documented at least four civilian deaths and 14 injuries from airstrikes in the Pul-e-Charkhi area of Kabul .
In Kandahar, which houses the administration’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the strikes hit a fuel depot belonging to private airline Kam Air near the airport . Mujahid noted that this company supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as United Nations aircraft . He further alleged that Pakistani forces had previously burned fuel depots belonging to private traders named Haji Khan Zada .
Russia Accuses Ukraine of ‘Reckless’ Drone Strikes on TurkStream Gas Pipeline Supplying Europe UNESCO report reveals 272 million children out of school worldwide as education targets slip.
“This unjust assault in the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan and on the threshold of Eid al-Fitr clearly indicates that they adhere to no human principles or moral values whatsoever,” Mujahid posted on X. “The Islamic Emirate condemns this crime and this flagrant assault in the strongest terms, and God willing, this injustice will not go unanswered” .
Pakistan’s Position
A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the country’s forces conducted operations overnight, stating that the targets were militants of the TTP . Pakistan’s state-run television reported that the armed forces carried out successful airstrikes inside Afghanistan as part of the ongoing operation, targeting what it described as four alleged militant hideouts and their support infrastructure .
Islamabad maintains that it only targets terrorists and has repeatedly asserted that no civilians have been killed in its operations inside Afghanistan . Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militant groups, particularly the TTP, which stage attacks against Pakistan . Kabul denies these allegations .
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information rejected earlier claims by the Afghan Defence Ministry as “baseless,” stating that the Pakistani Taliban attempted to deploy three rudimentary drones in Kohat, which Pakistani forces shot down, with two civilians injured by falling debris .
Escalating Conflict and Humanitarian Impact
The current hostilities, which Pakistan has characterized as “open war,” began in late February when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes targeting the TTP . Pakistan subsequently launched “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq” (Righteous Fury) on February 27, bombing areas in Kabul .
According to UN data, 185 civilian casualties, including 56 deaths from indirect fire and aerial attacks, were reported in Afghanistan between February 26 and March 5 . UNAMA confirmed on Friday that since February 26, at least 75 people have been killed and 193 others injured in Afghanistan due to ongoing armed clashes with Pakistan .
The UN refugee agency reports that approximately 115,000 people have been displaced by the fighting along the border . Clashes have disrupted trade and forced thousands to flee their homes in border regions .
Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat accused Pakistan of deliberately targeting civilian homes and nomads’ tents . On Thursday, the Taliban government said four members of the same family, including two children, were killed by Pakistani artillery and mortar fire in Khost province .
Regional and International Context
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has stated that Islamabad has killed 641 Afghan Taliban operatives and militants in its operations . Kabul, conversely, claims 55 Pakistani soldiers have been killed—figures that could not be independently verified .
The dispute is rooted in Pakistan’s belief that Afghanistan’s Taliban government is harboring militant groups that stage attacks against it and also of allying with its archrival India, allegations the Taliban deny . A Qatari-mediated ceasefire had ended intense fighting in October 2025, but several rounds of peace talks in Turkey in November failed to produce a lasting agreement .
China’s special envoy, Yue Xiaoyong, arrived in Islamabad on Thursday and met with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Sadiq, following a visit to Kabul . Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said they discussed threats posed by terrorist groups and agreed on the need for collective efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability .
UNAMA has called for an immediate cessation in hostilities to prevent further loss of civilian life . The escalation adds to concerns about regional stability as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues with no end in sight, generating great uncertainty across the Middle East and South Asia .
Current Situation
As of Friday evening, both countries continued to trade accusations while no formal ceasefire has been announced. The IED attack in Lakki Marwat and the airstrikes in Afghanistan occurred on the same day, underscoring the interconnected nature of the violence that now spans both sides of the disputed Durand Line border.
The TTP, which Islamabad says operates from safe havens in Afghanistan, has intensified attacks inside Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power . The group was behind some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in recent years, and its presence remains a major point of contention between the two neighbors.
Pakistan’s military has stated that its operations will continue until Kabul takes verifiable steps to curb the TTP and other militants operating from its territory . Afghan authorities continue to deny providing sanctuary to any group targeting Pakistan and accuse Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty with its cross-border strikes.
Verification Note
Casualty figures could not be independently verified by WNS.
SOURCES / INPUTS
The Hindu: Seven killed in IED blast in northwest Pakistan
Modern World Order Explained: Power, Alliances & Global Systems.
China Donates $200,000 to Families of Iranian School Strike Victims, Four US Crew Members Killed in KC-135 Tanker Crash in Western Iraq, CENTCOM Confirms.
