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The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has stated that cross-border military strikes conducted by Pakistan in the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar have resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread devastation.
The Taliban's deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, detailed the civilian toll in a post on social media on Monday, stating, "According to the reports available thus far, the attacks carried out last night resulted in the martyrdom of 36 civilians, including women and children, while 163 others sustained injuries. Three residential houses were completely destroyed." Providing a breakdown of the specific locations targeted by the Pakistani military regime, Fitrat stated that in Mandokhail Village, within the Chamkani District of Paktia Province, "Pakistani fighter jets bombed a civilian residence. As a result, one elderly man and one child from the household were martyred, while other members of the family sustained injuries." The deputy spokesperson further added that a subsequent strike targeted rescuers at the same location. "Subsequently, when local residents gathered to conduct rescue operations, the area was bombed for a second time, resulting in the martyrdom of 28 villagers and injuries to 158 others," Fitrat stated. According to the statement, another fatal strike took place in Walust Village, located in the Giyan District of Paktika Province, where a villager's residence was hit. "Six individuals, the majority of whom were women and children, were martyred," the deputy spokesperson noted. Meanwhile, a third strike was reported in Barolo Village within the Manogai District of Kunar Province. Fitrat stated that while "the residence of a civilian was bombed", fortunately, "no casualties were reported; however, the house was completely destroyed, resulting in significant property damage." Even before these detailed civilian casualty reports emerged from Afghanistan, Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported on the cross-border strikes as Islamabad scrambled to justify the deadly assault. Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on Sunday night that Islamabad's security forces had executed a "well planned intelligence based ground operation" alongside aerial strikes in the frontier zone. The conversion of this border campaign into kinetic action was a retaliatory measure, the minister claimed, following multiple recent terrorist incidents inside Pakistan. He specifically cited attacks targeting security camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and a paramilitary camp in Karachi. The regional friction had sharply intensified after a Saturday night assault on the provincial headquarters of the Pakistan Sindh Rangers in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar locality. The Sindh police chief told Dawn that three Pakistani paramilitary personnel and three attackers were killed after militants rammed the main gate with a vehicle, triggering heavy gunfire and explosions. An affiliate of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the Karachi garrison breach, Al Jazeera reported. However, rather than containing the local threat, Islamabad chose to project its military power externally into Afghanistan, hitting civilian pockets instead. This latest unilateral move by Pakistan is projected to severely aggravate the deep-seated tensions persisting between Islamabad and Kabul. The offensive was executed less than three weeks after Pakistan's military launched strikes targeting what it described as militant hideouts inside Afghan territory. The deadly bombardment effectively shattered a fragile one-month period of relative stability, which had followed what Islamabad had previously characterised as an "open war" between the neighbouring nations, completely bypassing ongoing global efforts aimed at establishing a durable peace. The current escalation marks the culmination of months of back-and-forth military engagements. Since February, border skirmishes have claimed hundreds of lives, a violent cycle that originally intensified after Afghanistan was forced to execute retaliatory strikes in response to Islamabad's persistent air incursions. Multiple phases of internationally mediated peace negotiations have repeatedly failed to secure a sustainable ceasefire due to recurring hostilities. Although China stepped in to host diplomatic talks between the two nations in April, subsequently announcing that Islamabad and Kabul had committed to curbing further military hostilities and exploring a peaceful resolution, Pakistan's latest assault has thoroughly shattered those bilateral understandings. (ANI)
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