The latest surge in violence follows Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan has intensified military operations against Pakistan, launching fresh airstrikes on Pakistani bases as cross border hostilities continue to escalate after months of mounting tension. The Afghan Ministry of National Defense confirmed on Saturday that its Air Force had carried out new strikes targeting military facilities in Miranshah and Spinwam, claiming the attacks inflicted severe damage and caused heavy casualties.
The latest surge in violence follows Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend. Kabul responded with retaliatory action along the border on Thursday, triggering a series of tit for tat exchanges between the two sides. The confrontation marks the most serious deterioration in relations since both countries agreed to a ceasefire last October after a week of deadly clashes.
According to Afghan officials, Friday’s operations also included strikes on military targets in Islamabad and Abbottabad. The defence ministry described these actions as direct retaliation for what it called repeated Pakistani aerial assaults in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia. Afghan authorities accuse Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty through sustained air operations.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said at least 66 Afghan civilians, most of them women and children, have been killed in recent Pakistani strikes, with 59 others injured. Kabul maintains that civilian areas have been disproportionately affected by the attacks.
Pakistan, however, has rejected allegations of targeting civilians. Officials in Islamabad insist that their operations are directed solely at military objectives and are conducted in accordance with international law to minimise collateral damage. Pakistani authorities claim their forces have killed more than 330 Afghan fighters and struck 37 military sites inside Afghanistan during the current escalation.
Despite the sharp rise in hostilities, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has called for dialogue to defuse the crisis. However, with both sides trading accusations and continuing military action, prospects for immediate de escalation appear uncertain as tensions along the volatile border deepen once again.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“I can tell you that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the impact that violence is having on civilian populations,” Dujarric told a daily briefing on Friday (local time).
The UN chief reiterated his call on the parties to resolve any differences through diplomacy, the spokesperson added.
On the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Dujarric said, according to UN humanitarians, years of conflict, poverty and natural disasters, such as drought and earthquakes, have left nearly half the country’s population in need of humanitarian aid, reports Xinhua news agency.
“This number will only increase if the fighting goes on or escalates,” he said.
“We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law; in particular, to ensure that civilians are protected at all times, as well as civilian infrastructure,” Dujarric said.
At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktika in Afghanistan following border clashes with Pakistan, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said.
The majority of the casualties are women and children, Fitrat added.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has claimed that a “special circle” in Pakistan has started a mission to destabilise the region after tensions escalated between Kabul and Islamabad, local media reported on Friday.
While addressing a press conference in Kandahar on Friday, Mujahid urged regional nations to stop the “troublemakers.” He stated that Afghanistan’s air forces had precisely targeted military centres of Pakistan, Afghanistan’s Ariana News reported.
When asked about the Taliban’s stance on whether regional nations call for a halt to the conflict, he said that Afghanistan seeks a peaceful resolution of issues and has engaged in several rounds of negotiations with Pakistan; however, Islamabad was not prepared to resolve the issues through dialogue.
