Kabul, Feb 23: Afghan villagers gathered on Feb. 22 to bury victims killed in overnight Pakistani air strikes, as Kabul and Islamabad exchanged sharply differing accounts of the casualties.
Afghanistan said at least 18 civilians, including children, were killed in the bombardment, while Pakistan claimed the strikes eliminated more than 80 militants. The toll could not be independently verified, and Afghan sources rejected Pakistan’s figures as false.
The strikes targeted areas in Nangarhar Province, Paktika Province and Khost Province along the border region.
In Nangarhar’s Bihsud district, a residential house was completely destroyed, killing 18 members of a single family and injuring five others, local officials said. Additional injuries were reported in other districts, while a guesthouse in Paktika province was also destroyed.
Islamabad said it struck seven militant camps, targeting the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province. Pakistani authorities described the action as a “calculated” and “retributive” response to recent suicide bombings in the country and accused Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to curb militants operating from Afghan territory.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid termed the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and alleged that civilians were targeted. Afghanistan’s defence ministry vowed an “appropriate and measured response,” while Kabul summoned Pakistan’s ambassador over alleged airspace violations.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The UN has reported that Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians between October and December last year.
Efforts at de-escalation, including a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, have failed to yield a lasting agreement. Saudi Arabia recently mediated the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghanistan.
Border crossings between the two countries have largely remained shut for months, affecting trade and civilian movement.
The latest strikes followed a series of suicide bombings in Pakistan, including an attack on a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed at least strikes followed a series suicide bombings in pakistan, including an attack on a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 160.
