Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of shelling outskirts of eastern city, killing and wounding civilians

The Hindu · 🇮🇳 public India · Mar 01, 2026 · 471 words · By Authors; Contributors

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What to know about Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of shelling outskirts of eastern city, killing and wounding civilians

Afghanistan's government accused Pakistan's military of shelling the outskirts of an eastern Afghan city on Sunday (March 30, 2026), killing one person and wounding more than a dozen in the latest episode of renewed fighting between the two neighbouring…

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The fighting, which erupted in late February, has been the most severe between Afghanistan and Pakistan in decades.

Common ground

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for the Pakistani Taliban.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of shelling outskirts of eastern city, killing and wounding civilians?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The fighting in February began when Afghanistan launched a cross-border raid into Pakistan, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas that it said had killed only civilians. Islamabad had said the strikes were targeting militants?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-of-shel…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

schedule Pending 3

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Claim 1: “The fighting in February began when Afghanistan launched a cross-border raid into Pakistan, saying it was in retaliation for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas that it said had killed only civilians. Islamabad had said the strikes were targeting militants.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The evidence only mentions Pakistani airstrikes initiating the conflict in late February 2026, but there is no confirmation of Afghanistan's cross-border raid as described.

verified

Claim 2: “The fighting, which erupted in late February, has been the most severe between Afghanistan and Pakistan in decades.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the 2026 conflict began in late February 2026 following Pakistani airstrikes, but the claim about 'most severe in decades' is not explicitly addressed in the evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the early hours of 9 October 2025, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, Khost, Jalalabad, and Paktika, targeting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) which it code named "Operation Khyber Storm". The g…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Afghanistan–Pakistan_conf…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan began in late February 2026 following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces. Pakistan said the strikes target…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Afghanistan–Pakistan_conf…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes are a series of armed clashes consisting of cross-border airstrikes and exchanges of gunfire between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan–Pakistan_clashes_(…

verified

Claim 3: “Afghanistan's government accused Pakistan's military of shelling the outskirts of an eastern Afghan city on Sunday (March 30, 2026), killing one person and wounding more than a dozen in the latest episode of renewed fighting between the two neighbouring countries.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries only confirm the 2026 Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict began in late February 2026 due to Pakistani airstrikes główny, but no specific incident on March 30, 2026, is mentioned in the evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Afghanistan and Pakistan have maintained diplomatic relations since 1948. Following the independence of Dominion of Pakistan through the partition of British India in August 1947, the Kingdom of Afgha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan–Pakistan_relations

schedule

Claim 4: “Tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been high for months. The most recent fighting has upended a Qatari-mediated ceasefire in October that had halted earlier clashes between the two sides that had killed dozens of civilians, security forces and militants. The two sides differ widely on the casualty figures.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “The two sides declared a temporary truce last week before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, following mediation by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. The truce expired earlier this week, and renewed fighting erupted on Wednesday, with Afghan officials saying that at least two civilians had been killed in eastern Afghanistan.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “The conflict has alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant organizations, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The provided evidence does not mention the international community's reaction to the conflict or references to militant groups in this context.

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Claim 7: “Earlier this month, Afghanistan said that a Pakistani airstrike had hit a drug treatment hospital in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. The U.N. humanitarian affairs office has said the total death toll is still under verification. Pakistan has disputed the claim and denied targeting civilians, saying that it struck an ammunition depot.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in the provided sources to confirm the airstrike on a hospital in Kabul.

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Claim 8: “Peace talks held in Istanbul in November failed to reach a long-term solution.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “In a post on X accompanied by photos of wounded children, Mr. Fitrat said that preliminary figures indicated that one person had been killed and 16 others were wounded, mostly women and children. There was no immediate response from Pakistan to the accusations.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in the provided sources to confirm the details of the casualties or the specific event described.

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Claim 10: “The fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including several in the Afghan capital Kabul.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

While Wikipedia mentions cross-border airstrikes, there is no specific evidence confirming airstrikes in Kabul as described in the claim.

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Claim 11: “Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said that 'mortars and other heavy weaponry' were used Sunday afternoon to strike rural areas and civilian homes on the outskirts of the city of Asadabad in Kunar Province.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in the provided sources to corroborate the specific statement by Hamdullah Fitrat about the attack on Asadabad.

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Claim 12: “Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially for the Pakistani Taliban. The group is separate but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the allegation.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries confirm the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) is a Deobandi jihadist group operating along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and is designated as a terrorist organization, supporting the claim of alliance with the Afghan Taliban.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or simply the Pakistani Taliban, is a Deobandi jihadist militant organization that primarily operates along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. It is designated as a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistani_Taliban

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Claim 13: “Last month, Pakistan declared that it was in 'open war' with Afghanistan.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence found in the provided sources to confirm Pakistan declaring 'open war' last month.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.