Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed on Sunday, 21st February, after the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, which border Pakistan. According to Afghan officials, the airstrikes, termed as “targeted” operations by the Pakistani military, caused heavy civilian casualties. Although there has been no official confirmation of the death toll, it was reported that at least 17 members of a single family were among the dead.

Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has strongly condemned the airstrikes. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, killing and wounding dozens of people, including women and children. Pakistani generals compensate for their country’s security weaknesses through such crimes,” he said.

Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews, quoting officials, reported that one of the strikes hit a civilian home in Behsud district. “The Pakistani military targeted the home of a civilian in Behsud district of the province, as a result of which 23 members of the family were buried under the rubble. Only four have so far been pulled out, and rescue operations are still ongoing,” the report said. Local sources added that strikes were carried out in different districts across the two provinces since Saturday night.

A social media account on X named “Afghanistan Defence” also claimed that 19 members of a single household were inside the home during the strike in Behsud, with only two survivors.

The Ministry of Defence described the strikes as a clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, international law, principles of good neighbourliness, and Islamic values. 

The Defence Ministry said that attacks on civilian and religious centres are clear evidence of the Pakistani military’s intelligence and security failures, adding that “these repeated acts of aggression will never conceal their failures.”

Pakistan says militants were targeted

Pakistan confirmed the air operations, saying they were based on intelligence inputs. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X: “Pakistan has carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates in the border region.” He referred to three attacks inside Pakistan since the start of Ramadan last week.

Pakistani media, citing security sources, reported that seven camps linked to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK) and its affiliates, as well as Daesh’s Khorasan Province, were targeted in an operation conducted “with precision and accuracy,” according to officials. The airstrikes came after a recent surge in deadly attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing attack near the Afghan border that claimed the lives of 11 soldiers and a child, and another attack in Bannu that killed two security personnel.

Islamabad has blamed armed groups operating from Afghan territory for these attacks. Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the operations targeted camps linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State affiliates. It also claimed there was “conclusive evidence” that some recent attacks, including a mosque bombing in Islamabad, were directed by leaders based in Afghanistan.

However, Kabul has consistently denied allowing its soil to be used for cross-border attacks. The latest strikes are likely to deepen tensions between the two neighbours, whose relations have already been strained by repeated clashes and border closures in recent months.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here