Retaliatory Attacks: Taliban Claim Killing 14 Pakistani Soldiers

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8am: The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense claimed that, in response to Pakistan’s airstrikes, they attacked border points and killed 14 Pakistani soldiers. The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense added in a statement on Saturday, March 14, that these attacks were carried out at border points in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghanistan: Eid markets subdued as prices rise and economic hardship persists

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Amu: With the Eid al-Fitr holiday approaching, markets across Afghanistan are seeing more shoppers, but vendors and residents say economic hardship and rising prices are dampening the usual festive activity. Fruit sellers in the western city of Herat say prices of dried fruits — traditionally bought for Eid celebrations — have increased as key border crossings with Pakistan remain closed. Click here to read more (external link).

Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Strikes Undermine China’s Diplomatic Push For Peace

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By Daud Khattak
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
March 13, 2026

Fresh Pakistani jet and drone strikes targeting Kabul and the Kandahar, Paktika, and Paktia provinces in Afghanistan have cast a shadow over China’s shuttle-diplomacy efforts to restore peace between Pakistan and the Taliban.

There has been no official confirmation from the Pakistani government, but Taliban authorities say four civilians were killed and 15 injured in the strikes on the morning of March 13. A Taliban source told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that an oil depot was also hit in the latest air strikes.

The Afghan Taliban responded with drone strikes in the northwestern Pakistani city of Kohat on March 13, injuring two civilians, sources told Radio Mashaal.

The Afghan Taliban said that it hit a Pakistani military base in Kohat, a garrison town in Pakistan’s northwest near the Afghan border.

Chinese Peace Efforts

The fresh Pakistani attacks come on the heels of China’s intensive shuttle diplomacy efforts to restore normalcy along the 2,600-kilometer Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

In the latest move, China’s special envoy on Afghan affairs, Yue Xiaoyong, held meetings with Taliban and Pakistani officials “to promote dialogue and reconciliation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on March 12.

In a post on X, Jian also said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urging the need to prevent further escalation and calling on the two countries to “return to negotiations as soon as possible.” On March 12, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, posted on X about a “detailed meeting” with his Chinese counterpart, Xiaoyong, who had arrived from Kabul in Islamabad that morning.

Sadiq said they “discussed threats posed by terrorist groups such as TTP [Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan] and ETIM [East Turkestan Islamic Movement] to Pakistan and China, respectively. Agreed on the need for collective efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability.”

A close neighbor of the two countries, China has invested billions of dollars in projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan to promote its presence in the region.

China has invested $65 billion in Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

China has also signed agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars to develop Afghanistan’s mineral resources with both previous Afghan governments and the current Taliban authorities.

Attacks On Chinese Workers

However, recent attacks on Chinese workers in Tajikistan, close to the Afghan border, as well as in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces, have heightened security risks for Chinese personnel, threatening investments in the region.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, an author and China-Pakistan expert based in Islamabad, told RFE/RL that the expansion of the Afghan-Pakistani conflict in the region does not serve Beijing’s interests.

“China has concerns about the presence of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement in the region, and the recent attacks on Chinese workers in Tajikistan have further heightened those concerns,” he added.

The latest Chinese efforts to ease tensions in the region come as previous mediators, such as Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, are dealing with the fallout from the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.

Pakistani authorities say that as long as the Taliban continues to host the TTP and other “terrorist groups” that carry out attacks inside Pakistan, then its military will continue cross-border operations.

The Afghan Taliban has said it will not allow Afghan soil to be used by groups targeting other countries.

Several Pakistani officials welcomed the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021. And the Pakistani military and its powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have faced accusations of maintaining close ties with the Taliban during the militant group’s fight against US and NATO forces in the near-two-decades war.

Copyright (c) 2026. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Former Afghanistan Prime Minister Sultan Ali Keshtmand Passes Away in London

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Khaama: Former Afghanistan Prime Minister Sultan Ali Keshtmand has died in London on Friday, March 13, according to a statement confirmed by his brother on the family’s official Facebook page. Keshtmand, who was the first member of Afghanistan’s Hazara community to become prime minister, played a prominent role in the country’s political leadership during the 1980s. Keshtmand served as prime minister from June 11, 1981 to May 26, 1988 during the presidency of Babrak Karmal. He later returned to the position from February 21, 1989 to May 8, 1990 under the government of Mohammad Najibullah. In addition to his role as prime minister, he also served as minister of planning and represented Kabul in the country’s parliament. Click here to read more (external link).

Military Operations Against Taliban Continue, Says Pakistan

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Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s state radio says the country’s military destroyed several Taliban posts along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during its ongoing operation “Ghazab-ul-Haq”. Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday, March 12, that Pakistan’s army targeted and destroyed several Afghan Taliban positions along the frontier. Citing security sources, the broadcaster said the outposts were located inside Afghan territory near the Tal area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Click here to read more (external link).

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UN says Afghan refugee families in Iran affected by recent attacks

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Khaama: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says Afghan refugee families living in Iran have been affected by recent attacks linked to the United States and Israel, leaving many already vulnerable households in a more difficult situation. The agency also reported that between 600,000 and one million Iranians have been displaced due to the recent attacks, adding pressure on local resources and humanitarian support systems across the country. Click here to read more (external link).

‘A few beatings won’t kill you’: judge rejects divorce request of woman abused by husband in Afghanistan

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The Guardian (UK): The shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of that? … A little anger and a few beatings won’t kill you.” Farzana* said her husband was quick-tempered and often resorted to beating her. He regularly humiliated her and called her “disabled”, she said, because her right leg was slightly shorter than the left. She had tolerated the abuse for the sake of their children, but one evening, she said, his violence went too far. Click here to read more (external link).