Relatives and army soldiers carry the casket of an army officer, who was killed in the suicide bombing in the border district of Bannu, for his burial following a funeral prayer in Mansehra, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 22. AP-Yonhap
KABUL, Afghanistan — Pakistan’s military killed at least 70 militants in strikes along the border with Afghanistan early Sunday, targeting what it described as hideouts of Pakistani militants it blamed for recent attacks inside the country, the deputy interior minister said. Kabul rejected the claim.
Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, offered no evidence for his claim in an interview with Geo News that at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes. Pakistan’s state-run media later reported that militant fatalities jumped to 80.
The Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement that “various civilian areas” in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes. The statement called the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X the attacks “killed and wounded dozens, including women and children.” He said Pakistan’s claim of killing 70 militants was “inaccurate.”
Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar province, said 18 people were killed and several others wounded.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari said late Sunday Islamabad’s recent strikes along the Afghan border were “rooted in (Pakistan’s) inherent right to defend its people against terrorism," after repeated warnings to Kabul went unheeded.
Earlier this month, Zardari warned that the Taliban-led government has created conditions “similar to or worse than” those before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
In a statement, he said Pakistan had “exercised restraint” by striking only border hideouts but warned that those responsible for attacks inside Pakistan “will not remain beyond reach,” stressing that protecting Pakistani citizens is “paramount and non-negotiable.”
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul to protest the Pakistani strikes. In a statement, the ministry said protecting Afghanistan’s territory is the Islamic Emirate’s “Sharia responsibility” and warned that Pakistan would be responsible for the consequences of such attacks.
Source: Korea Times News
