UNITED NATIONS — Pakistan formally requested an emergency briefing before the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday following an international outcry over cross-border missile and mortar strikes against Afghan territory that Afghan officials say killed at least seven people and wounded 85 others. The strikes, confirmed by multiple Afghan provincial officials, hit areas near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border just days after tentative peace talks between the two countries had shown faint signs of progress.

Pakistan's UN ambassador defended the operations as targeted counterterrorism actions against militant positions used by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan fighters operating from Afghan soil. Islamabad presented satellite imagery and intercept data to council members in closed consultations, arguing that the strikes were conducted under the right of self-defence after a series of cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the preceding weeks.

Afghanistan's Taliban administration, which does not hold a UN seat but communicated through sympathetic member states, issued a sharp statement calling the strikes a violation of Afghan sovereignty and demanding an immediate halt to what it characterised as unprovoked aggression. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Kabul would hold Pakistan 'fully responsible' for civilian casualties and warned of unspecified retaliatory measures if the bombardments continued.

The incident drew swift reactions from regional powers. China, which maintains economic ties with both Islamabad and Kabul through its Belt and Road Initiative, called for 'maximum restraint' and offered to facilitate renewed talks. The United States, still monitoring the situation from its Central Command headquarters, urged de-escalation through diplomatic channels while stopping short of condemning either side outright. Russia and Turkey also issued statements calling for dialogue.

Humanitarian organisations operating inside Afghanistan expressed alarm at the rising civilian toll and the threat to aid access along border corridors. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said field teams were assessing damage in affected districts and warned that continued strikes could displace thousands of people already living in precarious conditions. Analysts noted that the episode risks collapsing whatever fragile diplomatic architecture had been built during the brief peace-talk window, with consequences for regional stability stretching well into the remainder of 2026.