46 Killed in Pakistani Airstrikes on Afghanistan

A Taliban government official stated on Wednesday that Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, raising concerns about increased tension between the two neighboring countries.

Hamidullah Vitrad, a deputy spokesperson for the Afghan government, said the victims of the strikes, which targeted four locations in Paktika province, were refugees. He added that six others were injured, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday.

This comes a day after Pakistani security officials, who requested anonymity in accordance with regulations, told the Associated Press that “Tuesday’s operation was aimed at dismantling a training facility and killing insurgents in Paktika.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani stated in a statement that 50 people, including 27 women and children, were killed in these airstrikes. He said they were “unarmed refugees” who had fled to Afghanistan following a Pakistani attack in the northwest of the country.

The Pakistani Taliban, a separate group but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban, shared images claiming to show children killed during the Pakistani operation. The airstrikes occurred hours after Muhammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, visited Kabul to discuss several issues.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Pakistani envoy and strongly protested the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military. The Ministry stated that while a Pakistani civil government representative was engaged in talks with Afghan officials, the Pakistani forces launched the airstrikes “to create distrust between the two countries.”

It added that Kabul “will not accept any violation of its territory under any circumstances, and the country is ready to defend its sovereignty and land,” noting that “such irresponsible actions will undoubtedly have consequences.”

Pakistan has not commented on the recent airstrikes. However, on Wednesday, the Pakistani military stated that its forces killed 13 insurgents in an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan, an area located along the Paktika province of eastern Afghanistan.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised Pakistan’s “brave security forces” in a statement for thwarting the “nefarious plans” of “terrorists,” without referring to the airstrikes in Afghanistan.