China’s Communist Party will hold a major meeting of its top leadership in Beijing from October 26 to 29, state media reported Monday. The fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee, a key decision-making body within the party, was scheduled following a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, who also serves as the party’s general secretary.

In South Korea, five former senior military officials were sentenced Monday to prison terms of up to 18 years for their involvement in the declaration of martial law in 2024. The martial law, proclaimed by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol in December of that year, saw special forces deployed to parliament in an effort to block lawmakers from rejecting the measure. Armed soldiers were also sent to the election commission to investigate alleged voter fraud, though the measures ultimately failed.

In Ethiopia, clashes near the border with South Sudan have resulted in at least 12 deaths and many injuries, according to the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The violence occurred in the Gambella region, home to more than 400,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan. MSF reported an influx of wounded patients at the Kule health center following the fighting on September 18 in the Itang Special Woreda area. Intercommunal conflicts are frequent in this border region.

Meanwhile, Pakistan announced that airstrikes carried out in the border area with Afghanistan killed at least 28 militants. The Pakistani military strikes targeted sites in Afghanistan’s Paktika and Kunar provinces, according to a Pakistani security official who spoke anonymously. The airstrikes came in response to two militant attacks inside Pakistan, including a recent assault on a police facility in Kohat district that left at least 24 dead.

Afghan Taliban officials condemned the strikes, reporting that at least three civilians from one family were killed and four others wounded following attacks on a house in Kunar province. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid vowed an appropriate response to what they termed “aggression” by Pakistan. The Taliban also reported damage to non-military structures in Paktika province with no casualties.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have been high for years, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out cross-border attacks. The conflict escalated significantly earlier this year, with numerous airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery exchanges causing hundreds of deaths. The Taliban government has denied allegations of providing safe haven to anti-Pakistan insurgents, instead framing militancy as Pakistan’s internal issue.

The militant landscape in Pakistan is complex, involving multiple groups with differing aims but united in opposition to the Pakistani state. One such group, Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for the recent attack in Kohat. This organization, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, has historical ties to al Qaeda and shifted its focus following Pakistani military operations in North Waziristan around 2015. Analysts note that Bahadur’s network now serves as an umbrella for various militant factions, with al Qaeda playing a central role.

While the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains the most prominent insurgent group, Pakistan’s retaliatory airstrikes have targeted multiple militant offices in Afghanistan, including those linked to Bahadur. Afghanistan does not operate fighter jets but employs helicopters and drones, some of which have been involved in cross-border skirmishes. The use of air power by Pakistan is extensive, with a sizeable fleet of combat aircraft and helicopters.

A particularly deadly incident occurred in March when a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul reportedly killed more than 400 people at a drug rehabilitation center, a charge Pakistan denied, asserting it targeted terrorist infrastructure. The ongoing cycle of attacks and retaliations underscores the fragile security dynamics along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.