Islamabad — Overnight, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan that reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least ten individuals, predominantly children, according to a statement from the United Nations mission in the country on Thursday.
Pakistan has asserted that the airstrikes were aimed at militants affiliated with insurgent groups that have been launching attacks on its territory. However, the Taliban government in Afghanistan has condemned these actions as aggressive, claiming that they targeted civilian residences and resulted in the deaths of women and children.
In a statement disseminated via social media, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) indicated that it confirmed the civilian casualties, highlighting that the majority of the deceased were children, alongside nine others who were injured. While UNAMA did not specifically attribute the attacks to Pakistan, it noted that no other nation has claimed responsibility for recent aerial operations in Afghanistan.
The airstrikes reportedly struck regions within Kunar and Helmand provinces, with Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Afghan government, stating that three civilian homes were destroyed in the process. Mujahid condemned the bombings by Pakistan as a blatant act of aggression.
In contrast, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information provided a notably different narrative. In a statement issued to CBS News, the ministry described the airstrikes as intelligence-led, “well planned and calibrated,” aimed at militant hideouts and camps at two specific locations. They asserted that “initial reports indicate the elimination of 22 terrorists,” along with the destruction of “large quantities of weapons and ammunition.”
The Pakistani ministry emphasized that the threat to its national security originates from Afghanistan, claiming that their actions specifically targeted terrorist strongholds. They assured that “maximum precautions were taken to prevent collateral damage” and vowed to persist in their operations to dismantle alleged terror groups within Afghanistan.
Footage emerging from the Helmand strike area, located near the border with Pakistan, depicted individuals sifting through the debris of a collapsed mud-brick house in search of survivors.
Ebad Khan, a local resident in Kunar province, recounted to CBS News that one of the strikes impacted a home where a family had only relocated a day prior. “They had children and livestock. They had just moved from another district,” Khan stated, adding, “Sadly, all six family members were killed, including children.”
This year, tensions between the two neighboring countries have escalated, resulting in repeated cross-border confrontations. Pakistan has carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan on multiple occasions, with both nations accusing one another of harboring terrorist factions that orchestrate attacks against civilians and security forces across their shared border.
UNAMA has reported that these ongoing clashes have led to over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan throughout the current year.
