Dozens killed in Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan as Taliban vows retaliation

A Pakistani airstrike in Afghanistan’s Paktika province reportedly killed at least 46 people, mostly civilians, including children, according to Afghan Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat.

Six more people, mostly children were wounded in the region, Mr Fitrat said, according to AFP.

“Barmal district of Paktika was bombed by the Pakistan Army late today. Most of civilians whom are Waziristani refugees, were targeted, and a number of civilians including children were martyred and injured,” the Afghani ministry of defence said in a statement.

Security officials, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the airstrike targeted a training facility in Paktika province, bordering Afghanistan, with the aim of killing insurgents.

Local residents told the AP that at least 13 people were killed, adding that the toll could be even higher.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has claimed a toll of 50 people, including 27 women and children.

The TTP is a separate group and a close ally of the Afghan Taliban that seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and Nato troops withdrew from the country after 20 years of war.

Countries across the world have been hesitant to recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government due to the harsh measures it has imposed since its takeover, especially in restricting the rights of women and minorities.

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government denounced Tuesday’s attack, calling it an “act of aggression” in violation of all international principles, claiming most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.

“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this heinous act unanswered; rather, it considers it its right to defend its territory and sovereignty,” Afghanistan’s ministry of national defence said.

Pakistan’s government and military officials did not immediately comment on the alleged attacks.

The latest incident follows an earlier air strike by Pakistan on Afghanistan’s border that killed eight civilians in March.

Since the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan’s border tensions with Pakistan have escalated.

Islamabad has accused Taliban authorities of harbouring militant fighters and allowing them to strike Pakistan – allegations which Kabul has denied.

While Pakistan has experienced several militant attacks in the last two decades, there has been a marked uptick in recent months.

Islamabad has accused the Taliban of not doing enough to curtail militant activity across the shared border – an accusation that the Afghan Taliban denies, claiming it does not encourage attacks on any country.