Pakistan Air Strikes Kill 46 in Afghanistan, Taliban Confirms Amid Rising Tensions

At least 46 people, including women and children, have been killed by Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban confirmed Wednesday. Tuesday night, the Barmal district in Paktika province, close to the Afghan-Pakistan border, was the target of the devastating bombing.

The airstrike killed six Taliban members, predominantly children, and injured six more, including many women and children. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani planes hit four locations in Barmal, escalating the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The 2024 Pakistani airstrikes have been condemned by the Afghan Defence Ministry as "barbaric" and a clear act of "aggression." The Taliban reaffirmed in the statement their determination to defend Afghanistan's sovereignty by any means necessary. "We will not leave this cowardly act unanswered," the message declared.

Maleel, one of the locals, told AFP that his neighborhood was devastated throughout the attacks. "In one house, 18 people were killed; the whole family lost their lives," he claimed, saying that many other homes were also hit. 46 people were killed in Afghanistan by the airstrike; further deaths were reported in other places. A number of the injured were sent to hospitals in the area.

The latest in a series of escalations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are these airstrikes over the border. Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, tensions have sharply grown. Kabul is reportedly home to members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has conducted multiple attacks on Pakistani territory. However, Kabul refutes these allegations, and tensions remain high between the Taliban and Pakistan.

Following a series of border-region military operations, including a deadly bombing earlier in March 2024 that killed eight Afghan civilians, Pakistan launched this offensive. The latest incident contributes to the growing number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan caused by Pakistani airstrikes, further intensifying the already strained relationship between the two nations.

Regarding the airstrikes on Afghan territory, Pakistani authorities have not issued an official statement. On the same day, Pakistan's special envoy to Afghanistan was meeting with high-level Taliban officials in Kabul, indicating continued diplomatic attempts despite the increased tensions.