Afghanistan criticised Pakistan for carrying out airstrikes on terror targets inside its territory that it said killed dozens of civilians, warning that repeated attacks by Islamabad would not conceal its internal crisis.
Afghanistan on Sunday lashed out at Pakistan for conducting airstrikes on terror targets inside its territory, which killed dozens of civilians, saying that such repeated attacks by Islamabad would not mask its internal challenges.
Criticising Pakistan for violating international law, Afghan’s Defence Ministry said in a post on X that attacks on national institutions and religious centres reflected intelligence and security failures on Pakistan’s part. Kabul also vowed an “appropriate and calculated response” to the cross-border strikes.
“Attacks on national institutions and religious centres are clear proof of the Pakistani military’s intelligence and security failures, and such repeated violations will never conceal their internal shortcomings,” the ministry said.
“We strongly condemn this blatant violation and crime against the country’s national sanctuary. We consider this act a clear violation of international laws, the principles of neighbourliness, and Islamic values,” it said.
The ministry said dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
“The ministry considers protecting the territory of the country and the security of the people as its legal and national responsibility and warns of an appropriate and calculated response at the appropriate time,” it said.
PAK CONDUCTS STRIKES ON TERROR TARGETS IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan’s stinging response came after Pakistan said early Sunday it carried out cross-border strikes on terror targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings – including attacks during the holy month of Ramzan – on terrorists it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Islamabad said it had conclusive evidence that the recent attacks were carried out by what it refers to as Khwarij — its term for the Pakistani Taliban — allegedly acting on instructions from their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.
Pakistan said it conducted intelligence-based, selective strikes on seven terrorist camps and hideouts along the Afghanistan border, targeting members of the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province. Kabul has consistently denied allegations that Afghan territory is being used by terrorists to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
The strikes marked a sharp escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, days after Kabul released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi-mediated move aimed at easing tensions following months of border clashes along the rugged frontier.
According to the Pakistani government, recent incidents include a bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad and violence in the northwestern districts of Bajaur and Bannu. The military said that in Bannu, a suicide bomber targeted a security forces convoy on Saturday, triggering a gun battle in which five terrorists were killed, along with two soldiers after an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a military vehicle.
Rising tensions have repeatedly led to the closure of key border crossings, disrupting trade and movement along the 2,600-km frontier.
Dozens were killed in clashes last October before both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire. However, Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harbouring terrorists who carry out attacks on its soil — a charge Kabul denies.
(with inputs from Reuters)
