KABUL – At least 110 civilians, including 65 women and children, have been killed and 123 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes and mortar shelling across Afghanistan between Feb 21 and March 2, deputy Afghan government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat announced on Tuesday.
In addition to the human toll, the conflicts caused significant material damage, with 353 residential houses completely or partially destroyed, one health center damaged, and a school affected, according to the official.
Military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated in recent days, with several rounds of exchange of fire.
Eastern Afghanistan airstrikes
Pakistan has carried out fresh airstrikes on Taliban positions in eastern Afghanistan, targeting sites in Jalalabad, security sources said on Tuesday.
The strikes destroyed an ammunition depot and a drone storage facility in Jalalabad, the sources said.
Pakistani security forces repelled multiple cross-border attacks in the southwest Balochistan and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces overnight, killing at least 67 Afghan militants, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday.
Separately, the struck the Bagram air base during an operation early on Sunday, security officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Enayatullah Khwarizmi, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense, confirmed the air base strikes during a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday.
However, the attack resulted in no casualties and did not cause any significant damage, according to Khwarizmi, who emphasized that war is not Afghanistan’s preferred course of action.
3 killed, 4 injured in E. Afghanistan
Three children lost their lives and four others were injured after a cross-border artillery strike hit Kunar province, situated along Afghanistan’s eastern frontier, a local official confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Ziauraham Speen Ghar, head of information and culture in Kunar, the incident took place in Khas Kunar district. A mortar shell fired from across the border struck a residential house, resulting in the deaths.
Over the past few days, several residential areas in different parts of the province have reportedly come under shelling, leading to civilian casualties and heightened concern among local residents, he said.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed deep concern over reports that children have been killed and injured in recent clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
UNICEF called on all parties to exercise restraint, ensure the protection of civilians, and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.