- Pakistani airstrikes killed three civilians in Afghan border areas.
- Strikes retaliated for deadly terror attacks in Pakistan.
- Afghanistan warned Pakistan, citing sovereignty violation and condemning attacks.
- Pakistani strikes killed hundreds of Afghans since September.
Pakistani Air Force launched early-morning airstrikes on residential areas in Afghanistan, leaving at least three civilians dead, including a woman and a child, and four others injured. The strikes were carried out between 4:30 AM and 5:00 AM, targeting the Barmal district in Paktika province and the Nurgal district in Kunar province. The operation was launched in apparent retaliation for recent deadly terror attacks in Pakistan’s Kohat and Hangu districts.
Civilian Casualties and Evidence at the Site
Visuals from Pathan village in Kunar’s Nurgal district showed a family residence completely reduced to rubble. Debris recovered from the site revealed fragments of an American-made MK-82 bomb, a 500-lb (226-kg) general-purpose munition. Because the Pakistani Air Force deploys MK-82 munitions on both its US-supplied F-16s and Chinese-designed JF-17 fighter aircraft,it is not clear which platform was used in the raid. In Paktika’s Barmal district, another strike destroyed a local commercial shop, though no fatalities were reported at that specific site.
Afghan Government Response
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a strong warning to Islamabad following the incident, declaring that Afghanistan would deliver an appropriate response to the violation of its sovereignty. Mujahid stated that Pakistan’s military establishment is deliberately attacking Afghan civilian targets to distract its own public from its internal security failures.
Retaliation for Kohat and Hangu Attacks
The cross-border bombardment follows a sudden escalation of violence inside Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the weekend. Militants belonging to Ittehad-e-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP) carried out a suicide bombing at a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) camp and an adjacent mosque in Kohat, initiating a 22-hour hostage standoff that left 31 people dead, including 22 police and CTD officers. The group also targeted Pakistani Rangers in Hangu the following day, killing 5 soldiers.
The latest cross-border action highlights a growing pattern of casualties since the Pakistani military adopted a policy of retaliatory strikes against target areas inside Afghanistan. Reports indicate that over 568 Afghan civilians have lost their lives in Pakistani airstrikes since last September, raising further concerns over rising regional tension.
