Taliban accused Pakistan of killing eight people, all women and children, on Monday in “reckless” air strikes by the Pakistan army in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan aircraft “bombed civilian homes” in Khost and Paktika provinces in the wee hours of Monday morning.
“(The Taliban government) strongly condemns these attacks and calls this reckless action a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Such incidents can have very bad consequences which will be out (of) Pakistan’s control,” Taliban said in a statement.
Tensions between both neighbouring countries rose since the Taliban government seized power in 2021. Even though Pakistan and the Taliban shared a good, strong relationship, due to the latter’s support for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan now regularly claims that its neighbour is sheltering terror groups that are a threat to its safety.
It also cited the same reason for the air strikes and told news agency AFP that the strikes were in response to Afghan forces “targeting Pakistani territory”.
“Announcements have been made in mosques to empty some areas in Kurram and North Waziristan as clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue on and off at the border,” the official was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
The strikes come after seven Pakistani troops were killed in an attack inside Pakistan territory on Saturday, for which the country’s President Asif Ali Zardari vowed retaliation.
“Pakistan has decided that whoever will enter our borders, homes or country and commit terror, we will respond to them strongly, regardless of who it is or from which country,” he said while attending the funeral prayers of the soldiers, which included a lieutenant colonel.
Growing militancy campaign
Areas along the border have long been a stronghold for militant groups such as Pakistan’s home-grown Taliban group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates across the porous frontier with Afghanistan.
Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the Taliban’s return to power, with TTP waging a growing campaign against security officials.
The Taliban deny harbouring Pakistani militants.
In 2022, Taliban authorities said Pakistani military helicopters carried out strikes along the Afghan side of the border killing at least 47 people.
The TTP issued an official statement denying that Monday’s strikes targeted the group, saying their members operate from within Pakistan.
However, a TTP source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media said the strikes in Paktika and Khost left at least nine people dead.
“A house has been attacked where two women and seven children have been killed and a child has been wounded” in the Barmal district in Paktika.
“A bombardment in the Pasa Mela area of Khost also has casualties.”
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