After Pakistan air-bombed several civilian areas in Paktika and Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan with multiple casualties on the pretext of hitting terror pads, Kabul has warned of a “timely, appropriate and calculated response”, TOLO News reported.
According to the news outlet, Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry dubbed the strikes as a clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, international law, principles of good neighborliness, and Islamic values.
The Afghan Defence Ministry condemned attacks on civilian and religious centres, pointing to clear evidence of intelligence and security failure on part of Pakistan. Afghanistan said “these repeated acts of aggression will never conceal their failures.”
Reportedly, several Afghan civilians were killed and many others injured after Pakistan carried out airstrikes targeting civilian areas along the border between the two countries.
While Kabul alleged that residential locations were hit in the operation, Pakistan maintained that the strikes were aimed at Afghan-based “terrorist groups” that it holds responsible for a string of recent suicide attacks inside Pakistan.
Bilateral tensions escalate
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan will turn worse with these air strikes. The relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021. There have been many deadly border clashes in recent months and repeated accusations from Islamabad that Afghan soil is being used to shelter militants targeting Pakistan.
The Taliban government in Kabul, however, has consistently rejected these allegations, denying that it allows its territory to be used for cross-border attacks.