KABUL/ ISLAMABAD – At least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in the eastern provinces of Khost and Paktika in Afghanistan following Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes, the Afghan government said on Friday.
The majority of the casualties are women and children, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the government, wrote on X.
Speaking about the border tensions, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan government, said at a press conference the same day that the government has consistently emphasized peaceful solutions and continues to advocate for a constructive, non-violent approach to resolving the situation.
According to Mujahid, Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft are still operating within Afghanistan’s airspace, and if Pakistan persists in its aggression, the forces of the Islamic Emirate possess the capability to respond with decisive action.
Earlier this morning, Pakistani aircraft conducted airstrikes in various areas of several Afghan provinces, resulting in civilian casualties, the official said.
Mujahid reported that during the retaliatory operations, 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several others captured. In the clashes, 13 Afghan security personnel lost their lives, while 22 others were wounded.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday morning that the country’s armed forces possess the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions and any act of belligerence will be responded to decisively, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.