Pakistan Air Strikes Kill Three Afghans in Kunar Province
Pakistani air raids in Afghanistan's Kunar province killed three family members and injured four others, Afghan officials reported.
At least three people were killed and four injured in Pakistani air raids in northeastern Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials. The attack occurred in the Nurgal district of Kunar province around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, hitting a house and killing three members of the same family.
Kunar provincial spokesperson Farid Dehqan confirmed the details of the strike, which also injured four people. Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat added that in the Barmal district of Paktika province, two locations were bombarded, resulting in the destruction of a shop and an unoccupied house, though no casualties were reported there.
There has been no immediate comment from Pakistan regarding the alleged attacks. These incidents threaten to escalate tensions between the two neighbouring countries, which have experienced strained relations since February, following their most significant clashes in years.
The dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan centres on accusations by Islamabad that Kabul is harbouring armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks originating from Afghan territory. The Afghan Taliban government has consistently denied these charges, maintaining that the violence is an internal Pakistani issue.
These air raids come just days after a faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for a bombing attack on a mosque within a police facility in Kohat, northwestern Pakistan. That incident, which included a subsequent gun battle, resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people, predominantly police officers, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan's Ministry of Information had issued a warning on Saturday, indicating that the country might strike fighters within Afghanistan in retaliation for attacks within Pakistan. The ministry specifically blamed fighters based in Afghanistan for the Kohat attack.
The border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan has long been a source of friction, with both nations accusing each other of failing to control militant activity. The mountainous terrain and porous border make it challenging to prevent cross-border incursions and attacks.
Officials in Afghanistan have called for an investigation into the incidents and urged Pakistan to respect Afghan sovereignty. The international community is monitoring the situation closely, hoping for de-escalation and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border disputes.
This article was written by AI based on publicly available news reporting. Original reporting by the linked source.