Afghanistan has strongly condemned Pakistan for violating its sovereignty following a series of airstrikes on its eastern Paktika province on Tuesday night, saying at least 51 people have been killed in the attacks, mostly women and children.
Pakistani officials, however, claimed that the strikes targeted militant hideouts in border areas with Afghanistan.
The airstrikes hit four locations in several villages of Barmal district of Paktika province. Morgha, one of the villages bombarded by the Pakistani air force, saw at least six houses destroyed, with 18 people killed instantly.
Alhaji Mullah Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan's Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, visited Barmal district on Friday to investigate the aftermath of the airstrikes.
He stated that all the victims were refugees or civilians.
"The casualties, including women and children, are tragic and heart-wrenching. It's a heinous act. By observing the area, one can clearly see there are no terrorists or members of the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) -- only civilians who are either Afghans or devastated refugees living here in starvation," said the official.
Local resident Wakil Khan recalled the harrowing moment.
"It was 09:15 at night when the drones first appeared, followed by jets in the area. The drones identified the targets, and then the jets began bombing the houses. This is a fragment of a bomb that destroyed these homes," Khan said.
Abdul Hakim Khan, a survivor of the attack, described the trauma he endured. The airstrikes killed his entire family, including his three children and wife. He revealed that only three bodies had been recovered, while the rest remained trapped under the debris due to the intensity of the bombing.
"I wasn't home that night. I lost 15 members of my family in this house -- my father, a brother, three nephews, two female nieces, my brother's wife, my mother, and two sisters. All gone," the man said, with his voice filled with deep sorrow.
On the same day as the airstrikes, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, was in Kabul. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the strikes in Barmal district have heightened tensions, with the Afghan caretaker government warning of potential consequences for Pakistan
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Source: Reuters and AP
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