KHOST (Afghanistan): Pakistan has renewed deadly airstrikes on neighbouring Afghanistan, officials in both countries said yesterday, in the worst violence in weeks following a period of relative calm.
An AFP journalist saw a house completely destroyed in the southeastern province of Khost, where residents were digging graves to bury those killed in a nighttime attack.
Afghanistan’s government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said “11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed” in strikes on Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces.
Islamabad said the strikes came in response to “recent extremist incidents in Pakistan” and killed 26 extremists linked to the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) group.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that “precise and calibrated strikes” targeted extremist “hideouts and safe havens” in border areas, without commenting on civilian casualties.
The attack in Khost’s Spera district killed nine people and wounded 10 others, including children, a provincial official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Multiple residents confirmed the death toll and said the strike hit Mane village soon after midnight.
Pakistan’s information chief said the strikes hit four targets, including a training camp, an ammunition cache and a hideout linked to two TTP commanders.
In neighbouring Paktika, two residents said a separate attack killed three civilians in Barmal district.
The strike hit a home, and those killed were children, one of the residents said.
The strikes are the deadliest in weeks and follow a period of relative calm at the border after conflict between the two countries erupted in late February.
An escalation saw fierce fighting along the frontier and unprecedented Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities — including the capital Kabul and southern Kandahar, where the supreme leader is based.
At least 372 Afghan civilians were killed and 397 others wounded in that conflict in the first three months of this year, a United Nations report published last month said.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fraught since the Taliban authorities took power in Kabul for a second time in 2021.
Security issues have proved a sticking point, especially Pakistan’s demand that Afghanistan curb the TTP group.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering extremists behind a surge in attacks, particularly the TTP, which has waged a violent campaign against Pakistan for years.
Afghan officials have repeatedly denied the accusations from Islamabad, and counter that Pakistan harbours hostile groups and does not respect its sovereignty.
The border between the neighbours has remained largely closed since a flare-up in violence in October, freezing bilateral trade. – AFP
