Afghanistan has warned Pakistan that it will avenge the deaths of 10 Afghans, including nine children, who were killed in overnight strikes allegedly carried out by Pakistani forces on Tuesday.
Amid heightened tensions between the two nations, the Afghan Taliban has asserted that Afghanistan has the “legitimate right” to defend itself. “We will deliver the necessary response at the appropriate time,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Afghan government, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“The airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces last night on the provinces of Paktika, Khost, and Kunar constitute a blatant violation of Afghanistan's airspace and a clear breach of all rules and international standards approved by the United Nations and the international community,” Mujahid wrote on X. He also described Pakistan's latest action as a “crime.”
Mujahid earlier alleged on X that Pakistan had “bombed” a civilian home in Khost province, killing nine children and a woman. He added that additional strikes were conducted in Kunar and Paktika provinces, injuring four others.
Pakistan has yet to respond to the allegations, which come more than a month after cross-border tensions escalated when the Afghan government claimed Pakistani drone strikes targeted Kabul.
The reported strikes also come at a time when the Qatar- and Turkey-brokered ceasefire between both sides, agreed upon in October, remained in place on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on Monday, two suicide bombers and a gunman attacked the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, killing three officers and injuring 11 others.
No group has claimed responsibility so far, but authorities suspect the Pakistani Taliban. The group, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, and many of its leaders are believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
