Afghanistan says cross-border attacks by Pakistan hit civilian areas and killed 3

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan accused Pakistan Monday of carrying out cross-border attacks into its territory, hitting civilian areas and leaving at least three people dead and 14 others wounded, as tension between the two neighbors remained high despite recent peace talks.

Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat posted on X that Pakistani attacks had destroyed two schools, two mosques and a health center in the eastern Afghan province of Kunar. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan on the allegation. Islamabad has repeatedly rejected previous accusations of striking civilian areas in Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan had been embroiled in months of deadly fighting that killed hundreds of people since late February, when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which now rules Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

In early April, Afghan and Pakistani officials met for Chinese-mediated peace talks in Urumqi in western China. The two sides had agreed not to escalate their conflict and "explore a comprehensive solution," China's government had said at the time. But some cross-border clashes have continued, although at a lower intensity than before the talks.