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Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has censured recent airstrikes conducted by Pakistan in the Kunar and Paktika provinces, characterising the action as a "breach of Afghanistan's sovereignty".
In the wake of the strikes, Karzai conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and extended wishes for the full recovery of those hurt during the operations. According to his remarks, Pakistan's ongoing domestic security challenges stem from its own "misguided policies" regarding Afghanistan, and he expressed an expectation that Islamabad would re-evaluate its approach in favour of constructive neighbourly relations. Karzai's remarks followed statements from Afghan authorities stating that the Pakistani military executed aerial bombardments in Kunar and Paktika, resulting in three fatalities and four injuries. Taking to the social media platform X through a post in Pashto, Karzai stated that he "strongly condemned" the Pakistan airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika, "which resulted in the martyrdom and wounding of a number of our compatriots", and labelled the operation "this violation a breach of Afghanistan's sovereignty". https://x.com/KarzaiH/status/2101931959509537100?s=20 Prior to this, Afghan government chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a condemnation of the Pakistani air raids, cautioning that authorities would issue an "appropriate response" to the incursions. Mujahid asserted that the Pakistani military targeted civilian infrastructure and populations inside Afghanistan, stating that the strikes served as an attempt by the military leadership in Islamabad to deflect public focus away from internal domestic security shortcomings. "Crime and Aggression: Last night, the invading Pakistani army bombarded civilian areas of Afghanistan in Kunar and Paktika provinces. In Kunar, one woman and two men were martyred, and two women and two men were wounded; all of them are local civilian residents. In Paktika, one house and one local shop were bombed, with no casualties reported," Mujahid posted on X. "We condemn this aggression and oppression and consider it a repetition of crimes. Pakistan's military establishment, in order to divert attention from its own internal security failures, has once again committed such a crime. Afghans will give an appropriate response to this aggression, God willing," he added. These latest hostilities transpire against a backdrop of mounting friction between Kabul and Islamabad over recent months, marked by frequent border skirmishes and heightened anxiety concerning civilian losses. Islamabad has consistently stated that the Afghan administration fails to prevent armed factions, notably the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), from utilising Afghan territory, a claim rejected by Afghan authorities. Data released on July 28 by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) indicated that cross-border armed violence resulted in 57 fatalities and 342 injuries across the country between April 1 and June 30. The UNAMA report identified aerial bombardments and ground skirmishes as the principal drivers of civilian casualties, attributing all documented cross-border casualties during this timeframe to Pakistani security personnel. According to the UNAMA civilian casualty update covering April through June, the toll included 26 children killed and 86 injured, alongside six women killed and 34 injured. The UN body noted, "The largest number of civilian casualties were caused by airstrikes carried out by Pakistani security forces in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces on June 28, followed by shelling in Kunar province between April 27 to 29 April." Additionally, UNAMA recorded that cross-border artillery shelling by Pakistani forces in Kunar province between April 27 and 29 caused 99 civilian casualties, comprising eight deaths and 91 injuries. (ANI)
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