In the early hours of June 28, a Pakistani airstrike struck the village of Mandekhail in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, killing 17 civilians and injuring more than 100 others. The attack, which involved a “double-tap” bombing, targeted a house where dozens of men, women, and children were sleeping. Survivors described scenes of devastation as the blasts reduced the structure to rubble, leaving many wounded with severe and life-altering injuries.
Mandekhail, a Pashtun village of over a thousand residents situated in the southeastern Hindu Kush foothills, had largely avoided violence during previous conflicts, including the U.S.-led occupation from 2001 to 2021. On the night of the attack, villagers were celebrating the return of Haji Hassan from his pilgrimage to Mecca. A convoy accompanying him home reportedly might have been mistaken by Pakistani forces as a militant gathering, though local accounts deny any presence of militants in the area.
The Pakistan military has repeatedly justified strikes in Afghanistan by targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who are alleged to find sanctuary across the border. The TTP, a banned Pakistani Taliban group founded in 2007, has conducted attacks inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in Swat last month that killed 17 people. Pakistan’s military operations are framed as efforts to curb these militants, who seek to overthrow the Pakistani government.
However, survivors and local residents contest these claims regarding Mandekhail. Attaullah Malyar, 16, who lost his younger brother Luqman in the strike, said there was no TTP presence in the village and described the attack as a punitive measure against civilians. Similarly, Dr. Fathullah Darwish, whose family was severely injured in the bombing, stated the strikes were deliberate and convenient acts of retribution rather than mistaken targeting of militants.
The relationship between Afghanistan’s Taliban government and Pakistan has deteriorated sharply since the Taliban’s return to power five years ago. Once Pakistan’s regional ally, the Taliban have asserted greater independence, pursued closer ties with India, and resisted Pakistani influence. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring TTP fighters inside Afghanistan, a charge Kabul rejects.
The two countries’ tensions escalated in October when Pakistan launched airstrikes into Afghan territory targeting alleged TTP positions. Clashes along the border killed dozens of combatants and several Pakistani soldiers. Violence has continued intermittently, including a March airstrike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation center that killed 269 civilians.
Beyond immediate casualties, the conflict has exacerbated Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with the country facing economic hardship, widespread hunger, and border closures that have disrupted trade. Analysts warn that the ongoing violence undermines the Taliban’s efforts to establish stability and regional connections.
Some Afghans express a desire for peace despite the risks. Gul Afsar, a Mandekhail resident seriously injured in the attack, said, “We do not want a return to war... We want peace, but what can we do with a peace with permanent hunger?” The escalating conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan continues to weigh heavily on affected civilian populations caught in the crossfire.