Afghanistan accuses Pak of targeting homes in strikes that kill six civilians

Kabul: Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan’s military Friday of targeting homes in overnight airstrikes in Kabul and other areas of the country, saying at least six civilians were killed and more than a dozen injured, as fighting between the neighbours entered its third week.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that Pakistani aircraft also struck fuel depots belonging to the private airline Kam Air near the airport in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. “This company supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as to United Nations aircraft,” he said. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s state-run television reported that the country’s armed forces carried out “successful airstrikes inside Afghanistan” as part of the ongoing operation, targeting what it said were four alleged militant hideouts and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan.

The developments come amid a dramatic increase in tensions between the two countries which Pakistan has referred to as “open war.” They are adding to concerns about the stability in the region as the US-Israeli war against Iran continues with no end in sight, generating great uncertainty.

The dispute is rooted in Pakistan’s belief that Afghanistan’s Taliban government is harbouring militant groups that stage attacks against it and also of allying with its archrival India.

The Taliban deny harbouring the militant groups.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been targeting each other’s military installations since late February, when Kabul said it struck Pakistani posts in response to Pakistani attacks along the border. Pakistan’s military has said its operations targeted the Pakistani Taliban and their support networks along the border.