Kabul/Islamabad, September 25: At least four people were killed in Pakistani air strikes on Afghanistan, the Taliban government said, as tensions between the two neighbours escalated over allegations of cross-border attacks.
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes targeted areas in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces and warned that Afghanistan would deliver an “appropriate response”.
Pakistan said it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan that it alleged were being used to store and launch drones, some of which Islamabad said had been used in attacks inside Pakistan.
More Read
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate” and were limited to what he described as identified military objectives linked to attempted attacks against Pakistan.
Tarar condemned what he called a “deliberate and unlawful incursion into Pakistan by drones” on Wednesday, describing it as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Taliban officials, however, denied that their government had launched drones against Pakistan on Wednesday.
A resident of Kandahar city told AFP that an air strike hit the southern Afghan city. The resident said they heard a jet followed by a large explosion and then saw a fire in central Kandahar.
The latest strikes come amid growing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over attacks by armed groups operating along the two countries’ border. The dispute has already led to some of the worst fighting between the two sides in years, including clashes in February.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of providing shelter to armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks.
Kabul has rejected the allegations, saying it does not harbour anti-Pakistani armed groups and that attacks inside Pakistan are an internal matter for Islamabad to address.
The latest exchange of accusations and military action has further strained relations between the two countries, which were once allied in their opposition to several armed groups but have increasingly clashed over security concerns along their shared border.
