Afghanistan reports civilian deaths amid cross-border fighting
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has accused Pakistan of airstrikes targeting civilian homes, killing four people in Kabul and two in eastern provinces, as fighting between the neighbouring countries entered its third week. Women and children were among the casualties, according to Taliban authorities.
Cross-border air attacks
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft also struck fuel depots of private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport. Pakistani security sources claim the strikes targeted “terrorist hideouts” in Kabul and frontier provinces, including an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport.
Survivors recount destruction
Abdul Wahid, a 29-year-old daily labourer, told AFP that he and four family members were wounded when his house was hit at around 12:10am local time. “Women and children were under the rubble as well… I was there for 10 minutes as if it was my last breath,” he said.
Rising death toll and displacement
On Thursday, four members of a single family, including two children, were killed by Pakistani artillery in eastern Afghanistan. Since February 26, the UN mission in Afghanistan reports 56 civilians killed, including 24 children, and around 115,000 people displaced. Pakistan reports 12 soldiers killed and 27 wounded, while the Taliban claims over 150 Pakistani casualties.
Wider context
The clashes intensified after Afghanistan launched an offensive along the border in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes targeting the Pakistan Taliban, coinciding with the US-Israel attacks on Iran that have escalated regional tensions. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants, which Afghan authorities deny.
Also read: Pakistan in “open war” with Taliban, strikes hit Kabul, Afghanistan
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