Taliban Probes School Damage in Khost After Pakistan Airstrikes

Taliban security personnel inspected the aftermath of airstrikes in the Gurbaz district of Afghanistan's Khost province on Thursday, as a damaged school building became the focal point of local anger and official condemnation.

Footage from the scene showed broken windows and shattered glass at the school, where workers cleared debris while students stood outside the affected structure. A teacher in Gurbaz district, Niyaz Wali Shah, said the building was no longer usable.

"Not a single window or door remains intact, and the school is no longer fit for use," he said, adding that classes were disrupted for the day. He urged both countries to settle their differences through high-level dialogue.

An eyewitness, Zakat Khan, disputed Pakistan's account of the operation, saying the strikes had hit civilian structures rather than military targets. He called on the international community to send teams to inspect the area independently.

"The Pakistani regime is lying when it claims that it targeted military sites," he said, describing a guesthouse used by families as among the damaged buildings.

In Kabul, the Taliban government's deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, said Pakistani forces had carried out airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, and that four Afghan civilians were killed. He condemned the attacks as indiscriminate and a violation of principles, and said they would draw an appropriate response.

Pakistan has said its strikes targeted military sites, a claim residents and Afghan officials reject. Taliban security officials were seen collecting shell fragments and inspecting debris in Gurbaz as part of their investigation.