Pakistan-Taliban Clashes Escalate: Four Civilians Killed in Pakistani Strikes
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, says four civilians have been killed in recent Pakistani strikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces. However, the Pakistani government has confirmed carrying out strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan, claiming that only military targets were hit.
Responding to the strikes on Thursday (24 September), Mujahid condemned them, saying the actions of Pakistani forces violated Afghanistan’s sovereignty. He warned that further such attacks would provoke anger among the Afghan people and have serious consequences for the Pakistani military.
The strikes targeted parts of Kandahar, Paktia and Khost on Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said his country’s airstrikes were carried out in response to drones entering Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan.
He claimed that Pakistani forces detected the drones on Wednesday and neutralised them before they reached their targets.
According to Tarar, Pakistan subsequently targeted 10 locations that he claimed were being used to store and launch the drones.
Pakistan’s information minister described the strikes as “precise, measured and proportionate”, saying they targeted only military positions linked to the drone attacks. He also warned that Pakistan would respond decisively if the Taliban carried out further provocative actions.
However, the Taliban have rejected Pakistan’s claim that drones were launched from Afghan territory.
The latest Pakistani strikes come just three days after the country also bombed parts of Kunar and Paktika provinces.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has confirmed that at least three civilians, including a man, a woman and a girl, were killed and four others injured in the strikes on Kunar on 21 September.
