Pakistani bombing in Afghanistan kills 13 innocent people, UN exposes

Kabul: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has confirmed that 13 civilians, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. Local media reported this on Tuesday, citing UNAMA. Afghanistan’s leading news agency, Khaama Press, cited a UNAMA report, revealing that 13 Afghan civilians were killed and seven injured in the recent airstrikes. These attacks took place in Nangarhar’s Behsud and Khogyani districts on the night of February 21-22.

A school and a mosque were targeted in Barmal, Paktika, while an airstrike struck a house in Orgun district. UNAMA condemned the Pakistani airstrikes and urged all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure the safety of civilians. It has also demanded a transparent investigation into the incident and urged that increased security measures be recommended at the scene. Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated in recent months.

On February 22, the Afghan Ministry of National Security accused the Pakistani military regime of carrying out deadly airstrikes in various residential areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, killing numerous civilians. According to the ministry, the attacks targeted a madrasa and several residential homes, killing and injuring “a large number of civilians,” including women and children. Strongly condemning the attack, the Afghan ministry described it as a blatant violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty and a clear violation of “international law, the principles of good neighborliness, and Islamic values.”

Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Security stated that the country’s independence and the security of its people are both its “religious responsibility and national duty,” and warned that “an appropriate and calculated response will be given at the right time.” The ministry said, “Attacks on civilians and religious institutions are a clear proof of the Pakistani military’s intelligence and security failures, and repeated attacks like these will never conceal their internal shortcomings.”