Story perspectives

Taliban Claims Cross-Border Strike Kills 7, Threatens Ceasefire

4/29/2026

Summary

Taliban Reports Strikes

Taliban officials said cross-border strikes hit homes and Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University in Asadabad, killing at least seven and wounding 85.
The attack injured about 30 students and faculty members.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting denied the claims, calling them false and asserting its operations are precise.
The strikes jeopardize the China-mediated ceasefire, backed by Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that began after the Eid truce.

Summary

Afghan FM Praises Talks

Renewed cross-border clashes have displaced about 94,000 Afghans.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqi called the China-mediated Urumqi talks positive despite resumed fighting.
A mortar strike badly damaged Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University, forcing its immediate closure.
Humanitarian groups warned the escalation could reverse months of aid for families displaced along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

History

Historical Context

In August 1998, President Bill Clinton ordered Operation Infinite Reach, a cruise-missile strike that hit the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan and Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Carrier Strike Group 9 executed the Tomahawk attacks, and the destroyed plant had employed over 300 workers; today mortar fire on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University revives those cross-border tensions, prompting mediation by Pakistan, China and Gulf states.

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Taliban Reports Strikes

Taliban officials said cross-border strikes hit homes and Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University in Asadabad, killing at least seven and wounding 85.
The attack injured about 30 students and faculty members.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting denied the claims, calling them false and asserting its operations are precise.
The strikes jeopardize the China-mediated ceasefire, backed by Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that began after the Eid truce.

1 / 3