Kabul Condemns Pakistan Airstrikes: 10 Civilians Killed in Border Attack

According to the Afghan government, at least 10 civilians, including nine children, were killed after Pakistani forces struck a residential area in Khost, while separate air strikes in Kunar and Paktika injured four civilians.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the caretaker Afghan government, took to his social media platform, stressing that a necessary response would be taken at a proper time.

"The airstrikes carried out last night by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan's Paktika, Khost, and Kunar provinces constitute a direct assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a clear breach of internationally recognised norms and principles by the Pakistani authorities," Mujahid posted on X.

"These hostile actions by Pakistani forces achieve nothing; they only prove that operations driven by flawed intelligence inflame tensions and expose the ongoing failures of Pakistan's military regime," he added.

The Afghan spokesperson further mentioned that Kabul has the right to defend its territory and that an "appropriate response will be given at the appropriate time."

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this violation and criminal act in the harshest terms and once again clarifies that its air and ground borders. And it considers the defence of its nation as its legitimate religious right, and an appropriate response will be given at the appropriate time," Mujahid said.

The attack, according to officials, took place shortly after midnight and targeted the home of a local, reigniting concerns about escalating hostilities along the border.

Mujahid stated that the strike occurred around 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday in the Mughalgai area of Khost's Gurbuz district.

He said in a post on X that "the Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident, Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir. As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred, and his house was destroyed."

Mujahid also confirmed that separate airstrikes were conducted the same night, adding, "Air strikes also occurred in Kunar and Paktika, where four civilians were injured."

The latest strike in Afghan provinces has now raised fears of another cycle of violence as tensions once again spike along the volatile border region. This follows a brief lull in cross-border violence between the two neighbours after intense clashes in October.

- IANS