File photo of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the interim Afghanistan government, on Monday claimed Pakistan struck inside the provinces of Paktika and Khost along the Pak-Afghan border, killing eight people in the airstrikes.
In a statement, the Afghan spokesperson alleged Pakistani aircraft had staged the airstrikes on Afghan soil around 3 a.m. He claimed the bombardment had struck civilian homes, adding all eight people killed were women and children.
In a separate statement, he claimed the Pakistani side had said the strikes targeted militant Abdullah Shah, “but he lives on the Pakistani side.” He claimed members of Shah’s tribe lives on both sides of the border and routinely traveled across it. “The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the attacks and describes these as non-serious actions and violation of Afghanistan territory,” he said.
“Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for their problems and failure to control violent incidents. Such acts can lead to dire consequences which will not be in control of Pakistan,” he warned.
While there has been no official confirmation of the airstrikes from either the military’s media wing or the Foreign Office, they occurred a day after President Asif Ali Zardari warned that Pakistan would retaliate against the martyrdom of seven soldiers, including two officers, in a terror assault on a checkpost in North Waziristan.
The assault was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadar group, which security officials maintain operates from Afghanistan, primarily Khost province, which is located near North Waziristan.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, former interim Balochistan information minister Jan Achakzai said the airstrikes had “avenged the blood of martyrs” and targeted terrorist safe havens near the Pak-Afghan border. “If there is any terror attack in Pakistan, we will conduct a strong attack inside Afghanistan. Remember, the life of a Pakistani is more valuable for us than the entire Afghanistan,” he added.
Prior to the terrorist attack on Saturday, ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan appeared to be on an upswing after months of decline, as Islamabad accuses Kabul of failing to curb terrorist elements using its soil to stage attacks on Pakistan.
Last week, Pakistan Charge d’Affaires in Kabul Obaidur Rahman Nizamani traveled to Kandahar to meet Governor Mullah Shirin Akhund, considered a close confidante of the Taliban chief.