Kabul, (UNI) The Afghan Taliban on Sunday warned Pakistan of “an appropriate and measured response”, hours after the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes on Nangarhar and Paktika provinces that killed and wounded dozens of civilians, including women and children.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi, spokesperson for the Taliban Defense Ministry, condemned the Saturday night bombing, saying the attacks violated Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
“The Defense Ministry considers safeguarding Afghanistan’s sovereignty and the safety of its people a national duty and warns of an appropriate and measured response at a suitable time,” Khwarazmi said.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and head of the former High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah condemned the strikes and Abdullah called on both countries to resolve their differences through negotiations.
In a post on X, Karzai wrote: “I condemn the bombing of Paktika and Nangarhar by Pakistan. We once again call on Pakistan to reconsider its policies toward Afghanistan and to adopt the path of good and civilized neighbourly relations.”
In a statement issued Sunday, February 22, he described the attacks as a breach of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, warning they could worsen instability.
Abdullah said the bombardment and the targeting of civilians are not solutions and would only deepen the crisis. He urged both Pakistan and the Taliban authorities to engage in dialogue and negotiations to prevent further escalation.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry said it had targeted seven hideouts belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State militants inside Afghanistan.
Taliban officials, however, said a civilian house in Behsud district of Nangarhar was hit, leaving 23 people, including women and children, trapped under rubble.
Cross-border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have intensified in recent months, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of failing to curb militant activity.
Previous airstrikes and border clashes have strained relations, leading to diplomatic protests and security concerns on both sides.
Meanwhile, Abul Salam Zaeef, the Islamic Emirate’s former ambassador to Pakistan, described the attacks as cowardly and a violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Zaeef added that Pakistan is evading its responsibility by targeting innocent civilians.
According to local officials in Nangarhar, Pakistan’s airstrikes in Behsud district killed 18 people, including women and children, and wounded five others. Officials said all casualties were civilians.
Pakistan also targeted Barmal and Orgon districts in Paktika province, but no casualties were reported there.
Pakistan’s military claimed it targeted seven hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in last night’s attacks.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly denied claims that Afghan soil is being used by armed groups to threaten Pakistan or any other country in the region.
According to reports, in the village of Gardi Kutz in Behsud district of Nangarhar province, 16 members of a single family were killed and one other person was injured in the attack.
