Kabul alleges women and children were among the dead after strikes on residential areas in three eastern provinces, while Pakistan has yet to comment on the claims….reports Asian Lite News Desk
At least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 163 others injured in Pakistani military airstrikes targeting eastern Afghanistan, Taliban officials said on Monday, condemning the attacks as a “crime” and accusing Islamabad of targeting residential areas.
Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said the strikes were carried out on Sunday night in Afghanistan’s Paktika, Paktia and Kunar provinces, causing heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction.
According to Fitrat, Pakistani military aircraft struck the Gayan district of Paktika, the Tsamkani district of Paktia and the Manogai district of Kunar, destroying at least three residential homes.
He said one airstrike hit a civilian house in Mandokhail village in Tsamkani district, killing an elderly man and a child while injuring several members of the same family.
Fitrat further alleged that when local residents gathered at the site to rescue survivors, the area was struck again, resulting in the deaths of 28 villagers and injuries to 158 others.
In a separate strike in Walust village of Paktika’s Gayan district, he said six civilians—most of them women and children—were killed after another residential house was hit.
Another airstrike reportedly targeted a home in Barolo village of Kunar’s Manogai district, causing extensive property damage.
The casualty figures and details of the attacks have been provided by Taliban authorities and could not be independently verified.
Earlier on Monday, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid strongly condemned the reported strikes, describing them as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
“Last night, the Pakistani military once again carried out airstrikes on civilian areas in Gayan district of Paktika province, Tsamkani district of Paktia province and Manogai district of Kunar province,” Mujahid said in a statement.
“The attacks resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, including women and children. We strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression and consider it a crime and an act of brutality.”
The latest allegations come amid heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with relations deteriorating over cross-border security incidents and repeated exchanges of fire along the frontier.
Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in Kabul to lodge a formal protest over what it described as violations of Afghan airspace and airstrikes on residential areas.
The protest followed another reported cross-border attack on the night of June 9, which Taliban authorities claimed killed 13 civilians, including 11 children, one woman and one elderly man, while injuring 14 other women and children in Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces.
Pakistan has previously maintained that its cross-border operations are aimed at militant groups responsible for attacks inside its territory and has rejected accusations that it deliberately targets civilians. At the time of filing this report, there was no immediate official response from Islamabad regarding the latest allegations.
