Kabul:
A collection of Pakistani airstrikes on the Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan has resulted within the loss of life of at the very least 15 folks, together with ladies and youngsters, with the rely anticipated to rise. The assaults, which occurred on the evening of December 24, reportedly focused seven villages, together with Laman, the place 5 members of a household had been killed.
Local sources declare that Pakistani jets had been chargeable for the bombings. Reports point out that the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal was destroyed, exacerbating the continued humanitarian disaster.
The airstrikes have prompted extreme civilian casualties and widespread destruction, additional escalating tensions within the area. As restoration efforts proceed, additional investigation is required to substantiate particulars and make clear accountability for the assaults, reported Khaama Press.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defence has vowed to retaliate following the airstrike on Barmal, Paktika.
The Ministry said that defending their land and sovereignty is their respectable proper, and condemned the assault, claiming that “Waziristani refugees” had been amongst these focused.
While Pakistani officers haven’t formally confirmed the airstrike, safety sources near the army instructed that the assault was aimed toward Taliban hideouts close to the border.
This comes amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, significantly relating to the presence of Pakistani militants in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has elevated its assaults on Pakistani forces in latest months, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan Taliban of offering shelter to them.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi, a spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Defence, denied the Pakistani claims and posted on X (previously Twitter) that “civilian folks, largely Waziristani refugees,” had been killed within the airstrike.
Khwarazmi added that “a number of kids and different civilians had been martyred and wounded” within the assault, although no official casualty figures had been supplied. Sources reported that at the very least 15 our bodies, together with ladies and youngsters, have been recovered, and the loss of life rely is anticipated to rise as search efforts proceed.
The Waziristani refugees are civilians who had been displaced by army operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas. However, Pakistan maintains that many TTP commanders and fighters have fled to Afghanistan, the place they’re reportedly being protected by the Afghan Taliban in border provinces.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have been constructing for a while, fuelled by the continued presence of TTP members in Afghanistan. While Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring them, the Taliban insists it’s not collaborating with the group.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)