Kabul yesterday threatened Islamabad with a response of “uncontrollable consequences” to the Pakistani attacks that killed, yesterday, eight civilians, women and children, in two provinces of Afghanistan close to the common border.
“Pakistani planes bombed civilian homes in Paktika province, killing six people” and “in Khost province two women were killed,” announced Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Afghanistan “strongly condemns these attacks”, continued the official spokesman, denouncing a “violation of the sovereignty” of his country. “These attacks could have consequences that Pakistan would not be able to control.
The people of Pakistan and the new civilian government must not allow some generals to pursue wrong policies, which harm the relations of the two neighboring Muslim countries, with such brazen actions,” he said.
Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, border tensions between the two countries have increased.
Pakistan claims that armed groups, such as the Pakistani Taliban Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), carry out planned attacks from Afghan soil.
These attacks come two days after the death of seven soldiers in northwest Pakistan, in the district of North Waziristan, close to the border with Afghanistan.
This attack was attributed by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to “terrorists”, promising that Islamabad would respond “firmly” and “regardless of the perpetrator and the country”.
The Afghan government has always denied harboring foreign armed groups and guaranteed that it would not allow anyone to use Afghan soil to launch attacks against its neighbors.