At least 13 civilians were killed and seven injured in Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, the United Nations said, as cross-border tensions escalated following a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan.
The reported toll adds to fears of a renewed cycle of retaliation between the neighbours, threatening a fragile ceasefire along their 2,600km frontier and further straining ties as both sides trade blame over extremist violence.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that overnight Pakistani airstrikes on Feb 21-22 killed at least 13 civilians and injured seven in the Behsud and Khogyani districts of Nangarhar province.
Pakistan said it launched the strikes after blaming recent attacks on extremists operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry in a post on X said the “intelligence-based” operation struck seven camps of the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan Province and that it had “conclusive evidence” the extremist assaults on Pakistan were directed by “Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers”.
The strikes took place days after Kabul released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi-mediated exchange aimed at easing months of tensions along the border.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry condemned the strikes and called them a violation of sovereignty and international law, saying an “appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time”.
In a statement on the strikes, Afghanistan’s Education Ministry said eight school students; five boys and three girls, were killed in Nangarhar province, and one madrasa student injured in Paktika province, adding that dozens of other civilians were killed or wounded. — Reuters
