19 killed in Khost, Paktika following Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes

Kabul: At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktika in Afghanistan following border clashes with Pakistan, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said.

The majority of the casualties are women and children, Fitrat added.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has claimed that a “special circle” in Pakistan has started a mission to destabilise the region after tensions escalated between Kabul and Islamabad, local media reported on Friday.

While addressing a press conference in Kandahar on Friday, Mujahid urged regional nations to stop the “troublemakers.” He stated that Afghanistan’s air forces had precisely targeted military centres of Pakistan, Afghanistan’s Ariana News reported.

When asked about the Taliban’s stance on whether regional nations call for a halt to the conflict, he said that Afghanistan seeks a peaceful resolution of issues and has engaged in several rounds of negotiations with Pakistan; however, Islamabad was not prepared to resolve the issues through dialogue.

Mujahid stressed that Pakistan continuously tries to fabricate pretexts for war and connects its internal issues to Afghanistan. According to him, Pakistani aircraft were still flying in Afghanistan’s airspace.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces of Afghanistan on Thursday night.

Mujahid said Pakistani forces carried out bombings in several areas of Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar. He mentioned that 13 Afghan soldiers were killed and 22 others were injured during the fighting, Ariana News reported.

Earlier in the day, the Afghan Air Force conducted airstrikes against Pakistani military targets in Islamabad, Nowshera, Jamrud and Abbottabad, Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said.

Fitrat stated that these attacks were conducted in response to the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia last night.

“The Air Force of the Ministry of National Defence carried out airstrikes on a military camp near Faizabad city in Islamabad, Pakistan, an army cantonment in Nowshera, Jamrud military colony, and Abbottabad today at around 11:00 am,” Fitrat shared on X.

“These airstrikes were carried out successfully, targeting important military positions, centres, and installations of the Pakistani army there. These attacks were carried out in response to the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia last night,” he added.

Afghan Ministry of National Defence said that the country’s forces launched retaliatory strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, killing at least 55 Pakistani soldiers and capturing two bases along with 19 posts.

Additionally, it said, eight Afghan soldiers were killed, and 11 others were injured during the operation.

Kabul also mentioned that 13 Afghan civilians, including women and children, were injured in a missile attack by Pakistani forces on a refugee camp in the Afghan province of Nangarhar.

On Thursday, Pakistan launched ‘Operation Ghazab lil-Haq’ (Righteous Fury) in response to what it described as “unprovoked firing” by the Afghan forces across multiple border sectors, Pakistan’s leading daily ‘Dawn’ reported. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) carried out airstrikes targeting military installations in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.

IANS