Kabul: In the latest retaliatory offensive, Afghan forces today killed 14 Pakistani soldiers and wounded 11 others while capturing an enemy military post along the disputed Durand Line border.
The two neighbouring countries have been engaged in a military conflict since February 22, ignited by Pakistani military’s unprovoked airstrikes at various places inside Afghanistan which left dead dozens of innocent Afghan civilians, including children and women.
In a latest statement, the Afghan Defence Ministry said its forces carried out operations in the eastern zone of the country, including Kunar and Nangarhar Provinces, in retaliaton to the criminal acts by Pakistan’s military regime.
“In response to the crimes committed by the Pakistani military regime, Afghan Defence Forces carried out operations along the Durand Line in the eastern zone of Kunar and Nangarhar provinces,” it said.
During the operation, a Pakistani military post was captured and 14 enemy soldiers killed and 11 others were injured, the Ministry said.
An armored tank of the Pakistani military and an International vehicle were also completely destroyed and taken out of service, it said.
Last evening, the Afghan Taliban regime claimed to have hit a major Pakistani military center in Faizabad area of capital Islamabad in a drone attack, hours after Kabul and some other places were targeted in airstrikes by the neighbouring country.
“In continuation of the ongoing ‘RejectOppression’ retaliatory operation At about 5:00 PM today, Afghan Air Forces carried out an airstrike on the Pakistani military’s strategic center, ‘Hamza’ in Faizabad, Islamabad…” it said last evening.
The latest operation by the Afghan forces came in retaliation to the fresh airstrikes by the Pakistani military in which 4 civilians were killed and 25 injured in Kabul.
The Pakistani airstrikes also caused damage to some key infrastructure of Afghanistan, including the fuel depot of private airline Kam Air in Kandahar.
Afghan officials said the fuel stock had been kept for this year’s Hajj flights.
The targeted fuel facility supplied domestic airlines and aircraft operated by the United Nations, said Taliban regime spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid in a social media post.
He recalled that Pakistan had earlier targeted fuel storage belonging to a trader named Haji Khan Zadah.
Pakistani military attacked mosques, houses, markets in Afghanistan since last night
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has raised concerns over the repeated military strikes by Pakistan while noting that these have resulted in civilian casualties.
“UNAMA documented at least four civilian deaths and 14 injured, including women and children, as a result of airstrikes in Pul-e-Charkhi area in Kabul Afghanistan last night. We continue to call for an immediate cessation in hostilities to prevent further loss of civilian life,” It said.
“Civilians, mostly women and children, continue to pay the price for the latest escalation in cross-border violence. Since 26 February, UNAMA has recorded at least 75 civilians killed and 193 injured in Afghanistan as a result of ongoing armed clashes,” the mission said.
Pakistan has been maintaining unfriendly, and at times inimical, approach towards Afghanistan for long and the relations worsened after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021 through a military campaign.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban regime of sheltering TTP militants who are active in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan and target its military.
The Taliban regime has repeatedly rejected this allegation and maintained that the Pakistan government was blaming others for its failures on domestic front.
