Pakistan Carries Out Airstrikes in Afghan Provinces; Taliban Claims Civilian Casualties

Kabul — Pakistan has carried out a series of military strikes across several provinces in Afghanistan, including Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia Province, and Paktika Province, the Taliban said on Friday, alleging that the attacks resulted in civilian deaths, including women and children.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. In a post on X, he accused Pakistan’s military of carrying out bombings in multiple areas, some of which allegedly struck civilian homes.

“Continuing the pattern of previous aggressions and crimes, the Pakistani military regime has once again bombed Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Paktika, and other areas,” Mujahid said, claiming that while some strikes hit residential locations causing casualties, others targeted remote desert regions.

He further criticised the timing of the attacks, saying they occurred during the final days of Ramadan and close to Eid al-Fitr, and vowed that the assault would not go unanswered.

Mujahid also alleged that Pakistani aircraft set fire to fuel storage facilities belonging to Kam Air, a private Afghan airline, near Kandahar International Airport. According to him, the fuel depot supplies aviation fuel to civilian airlines and aircraft operated by the United Nations.

He claimed that similar fuel depots belonging to private traders had previously been destroyed in the region.

The latest escalation comes days after Afghan authorities said Taliban fighters killed around 30 Pakistani soldiers during clashes along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

Taliban defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said the clashes occurred in the Shorabak District of Kandahar province, where Taliban fighters allegedly seized a Pakistani military outpost before destroying it with explosives. He also claimed that Taliban forces captured several Pakistani positions in the Dand Patan area of Paktia province.

The current round of tensions began after Afghan forces reportedly launched retaliatory operations on February 27 following Pakistani strikes against militant targets inside Afghanistan on February 21.

In response to the Afghan attacks, Pakistan announced Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which it described as a countermeasure to what it called “unprovoked firing” by Afghan forces across several border sectors.

With inputs from IANS