Pakistan Airstrikes in Afghanistan: Civilian Casualties Reported

Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people, predominantly children, according to the United Nations mission’s report on Thursday. The Pakistani government stated that the strikes targeted militants from insurgent groups responsible for attacks against Pakistan. However, the Taliban-led Afghan government accused Pakistan of aggression, asserting the strikes hit civilian residences, causing deaths among women and children.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed the casualties in its statement, also noting nine injuries. While UNAMA did not explicitly attribute the strikes to Pakistan, no other nation has recently conducted aerial attacks on Afghanistan. Images from the strike sites show Afghan civilians sifting through debris in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces, where significant damage occurred.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a prominent spokesperson for the Afghan government, reported the destruction of three civilian homes and criticized the attacks as acts of aggression. In contrast, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information issued a statement declaring the airstrikes as intelligence-based, targeting terrorist camps in the specified provinces with claims of 22 terrorist casualties. The ministry emphasized their efforts to minimize collateral damage, describing the operations as tactical and precise.

In the Helmand province near Pakistan’s border, videos reveal the destruction wrought by the strikes, with residents combing through the ruins of homes. Ebad Khan, a resident of Kunar province, recounted that one strike destroyed a house occupied by a recently relocated family. Tragically, all six members, including children, perished.

The escalation of cross-border skirmishes this year has seen repeated Pakistani airstrikes within Afghanistan. Both nations accuse each other of harboring terrorists near their shared borders, allegedly plotting attacks against security forces and civilians. UNAMA reports that these hostilities have resulted in over 1,100 civilian casualties in Afghanistan this year.