Afghan officials reported that at least three people were killed and four others injured following air raids in northeastern Afghanistan on Monday. The strikes, which authorities attributed to Pakistan, occurred in the Nurgal district of Kunar province at approximately 4:00 a.m. local time.
Farid Dehqan, a spokesperson for the Kunar provincial government, confirmed the casualties. Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated that the attack destroyed a house, resulting in the deaths of three members of the same family. Fitrat added that additional bombardments occurred in the Barmal district of Paktika province, where a shop and an unoccupied house were destroyed, though no casualties were reported in that area.
The Pakistani government has not issued an immediate comment regarding the allegations. The incident follows a warning issued Saturday by Pakistan’s Ministry of Information, which stated that the country reserved the right to strike fighters based inside Afghanistan. This warning came in response to a bombing at a mosque in a police facility in Kohat, Pakistan, which resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people.
Tensions between the two nations have remained strained due to ongoing disputes regarding cross-border security. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of harboring armed groups responsible for attacks within Pakistan. The Taliban government denies these allegations, maintaining that the violence is an internal matter for Pakistan.
Article source: www.aljazeera.com | Image credit: www.aljazeera.com