Afghanistan has threatened to retaliate against Pakistan following deadly airstrikes in Khost province that killed at least 10 people, including nine children, according to the Taliban government. The strikes came hours after a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s Peshawar killed six people, three of them security personnel. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that defending Afghanistan’s territory and people is its legitimate right and promised an appropriate response at the right time. Pakistan claims that militants from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) use Afghan territory to launch attacks, a charge the Taliban denies. Relations between the two neighbors have deteriorated since the Taliban took power in 2021, with cross-border violence escalating in recent months despite mediation efforts by Qatar and Turkey.