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Pakistan Airstrikes Kill Civilians in Afghanistan
Confirmed
In Short: Pakistan says its strikes targeted militants, but Afghanistan reports nine civilians killed and eleven wounded.
Pakistan carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces overnight, according to Kabul, killing nine women and children and wounding eleven others.
Pakistan's Information Ministry, however, stated that its strikes were aimed at militant hideouts and that 22 militants were killed.
The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan documented over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries from cross-border violence this year.
The strikes come amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
Afghanistan's Taliban government, through spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said the airstrikes hit civilian homes in southern Helmand and eastern Kunar provinces, destroying three houses.
Pakistan's Ministry of Information claimed the airstrikes were well-planned and precise, targeting militant hideouts and destroying weapons and ammunition.
The Pakistani government also stated that its air defense systems detected drones launched from Afghan territory and neutralized them before they could reach targets.
Pakistan conducted airstrikes on ten locations in southeastern Khost province, according to the Khost governor's spokesperson.
The recent attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan, which killed at least 24 people, has reignited fighting between the countries.
Turkey's intelligence chief met with Pakistan's army chief and intelligence chief, and Turkey expressed its willingness to help resolve tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Taliban security personnel stand guard near damaged houses in Afghanistan's Khost province after Pakistani airstrikes.
Afghanistan's Taliban government vowed to deliver an 'appropriate response' to the strikes, reported to have killed four civilians in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces.
What this adds
The TTP, allied with but separate from the Afghan Taliban, is accused by Pakistan of operating from Afghan territory.
The recent surge in militant violence near the border with Afghanistan has targeted police and other security forces.
The attack on the police facility in northwestern Pakistan involved a vehicle bomb and a coordinated assault, killing mostly police officers attending prayers at a mosque.
What's confirmed
- KABUL: Pakistan carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces overnight, both countries said Thursday, with Afghanistan saying 9 women and children were killed and another 11 were wounded in the bombings.
- Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Information Ministry said its strikes were against militant hideouts in two locations and that “initial reports suggest” that 22 militants had been killed.
- The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan said last week it had documented over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border violence so far this year.
- The strikes come amid repeated cross-border clashes between the two countries, while Pakistan has repeatedly carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan since tensions between the two countries spiraled dramatically earlier this year.
- Pakistan denies striking civilians, and says it targets militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
What's still developing
- The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since seizing power in 2021.
- “Maximum precautions were taken and it was ensured that no collateral damage occurs,” the statement said and added that its campaign “will continue at full pace to wipe out” the threat of militants from the country.
- Pakistan then conducted the "precision aerial and drone strikes" on 10 locations, which were "limited to identified military objectives" linked to the attempted attacks, he said.
- The strikes come as tensions escalate between the allies-turned-foes, who have long been at odds over attacks by Islamist militants, which also triggered their worst fighting in years in February.
- Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militants who stage cross-border attacks, but Afghanistan's Taliban government denies harbouring anti-Pakistani insurgents and says militancy is Pakistan's internal problem.
- PESHAWAR – A vehicle bomb exploded Friday at a mosque near police offices in northwestern Pakistan as gunmen tried to storm the compound in an attack that killed at least 21 people and wounded 80 others, police and rescue officials said.
- Most of those killed were police officers, hospital officials said.
- Friday’s bombing came a day after Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Sharif, the Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and intelligence chief Lt.
- Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban, said Thursday that top officials in Kabul held talks with Kalin and a senior Qatari security official.
- Among those killed and wounded were police officers attending prayers at the mosque.