Four civilians, including three children, were killed in overnight Pakistani mortar strikes in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.
The World Food Programme is mobilising emergency food assistance for more than 20,000 displaced families amid mounting humanitarian concerns.
Diplomatic efforts, including mediation by China, aim to secure a ceasefire as Kabul and Islamabad exchange accusations over militant sheltering; Afghan authorities report at least 18 civilian deaths this week.
Afghan officials say four people, including three children, were killed in overnight mortar strikes by Pakistani forces in eastern Afghanistan, as cross-border fighting continues into a third consecutive week.
Mustaghfir Gubuz, spokesperson for the governor of Khost province, told AFP that at midnight (19:30 GMT on Sunday) Pakistani forces "fired mortar shells on the Nari village of Gurbuz district, killing a woman and a child." The governor's office said additional mortar fire struck the Afghan Dubai area of Khost, killing two children.
Separately, government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat wrote on X that shelling hit a civilian home in Nuristan province on Sunday, killing one person. Afghan authorities say cross-border clashes have killed at least 18 civilians in the past week.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it has begun mobilising to provide "immediate lifesaving food" to more than 20,000 displaced families in Afghanistan. John Aylieff, WFP country director in Afghanistan, warned: "We cannot afford to look away. Afghanistan is caught between two conflicts, and any further instability will push millions deeper into hunger while adding strain to a region already on the brink."
The violence escalated at the end of February, when Kabul launched cross-border attacks after Pakistan carried out air strikes that Afghan authorities said killed civilians. Those exchanges prompted Pakistan to declare "open war" against Afghan authorities and to target the capital.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters from the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP), who have claimed responsibility for attacks inside Pakistan; Afghanistan's Taliban government has denied these allegations.
China said its special envoy, Yue Xiaoyong, spent a week mediating between the two countries and urging an immediate ceasefire. Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China has "consistently mediated the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan through its own channels."
Sources: Statements from Khost provincial office, Afghan government spokesperson, AFP reporting, and WFP press release.
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