Afghan Official: Pakistan’s airstrikes will not go unanswered

Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi, Deputy Minister for Publications at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, has condemned Pakistan’s latest airstrikes on Afghanistan, warning that the attacks “will not go unanswered.”

Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, Farahi said the strikes had killed and wounded civilians, including women and children.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan has once again attacked and bombed our beloved country Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths and injuries of innocent people, particularly women and children,” Farahi said.

He said the Islamic Emirate would respond to the attacks at an appropriate time.

The remarks came a day after Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar and Paktika provinces. Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed and four others were wounded in Kunar. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) separately confirmed the deaths of three civilians — a man, a woman and a girl.

Pakistan said the strikes targeted militant hideouts in the border region and claimed that 28 militants were killed. Islamabad said the operation followed recent attacks on Pakistani security forces and was aimed at what it described as militant positions inside Afghanistan.

The latest strikes have further heightened tensions between the two neighbours after nearly three months of relative calm. Pakistan has repeatedly accused armed groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, while the Islamic Emirate has rejected the allegations and accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul on Monday and handed him a formal protest over the strikes, according to Afghan officials.