Critically injured airstrike victims airlifted to Kabul for emergency treatment

Thirty-three critically injured civilians have been airlifted to Kabul by helicopter for emergency medical treatment following reported airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, health officials said on Monday.

According to officials, the patients are among 66 people initially identified as being in critical condition after the strikes, which reportedly hit residential areas in the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar overnight.

The injured have been admitted to several hospitals across the capital, where specialist medical teams are providing emergency care. Authorities have not released details on the conditions of the remaining critically wounded patients or whether they will also be transferred to Kabul.

The medical evacuations come as Afghan officials continue to assess the human toll of Pakistan’s overnight airstrikes against Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has accused Pakistan of carrying out the strikes, saying at least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 163 others wounded. Officials said the deadliest attack occurred in Mandokhail village in Paktia’s Chamkani district, where a residential home was allegedly struck before a second strike hit as villagers gathered to help the wounded.

Additional strikes were reported in Paktika’s Giyan district and Kunar’s Manogai district, where authorities said several homes were damaged or destroyed.

Pakistan has not officially commented on the allegations, and the casualty figures released by Afghan authorities have not been independently verified.

The reported strikes have drawn widespread condemnation from senior Afghan officials and international figures, including former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who criticised the attacks and called for dialogue between the two neighbouring countries rather than military action.

The latest violence underscores the continuing tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier, where both countries have repeatedly exchanged accusations over cross-border militancy and security threats.

Afghan authorities have described the reported strikes as violations of the country’s sovereignty, while Pakistan has previously maintained that its military operations target militant groups it says operate from Afghan territory.