Pakistan strikes Afghan base after drone attacks
Pakistan launched airstrikes on a military site in Kandahar after authorities said drones linked to the Afghan Taliban targeted civilian areas and military installations inside the country, intensifying tensions along the volatile border.
The strikes were carried out on Saturday after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the overnight drone attacks and warned that Kabul had crossed a “red line” by attempting to hit civilian targets.
The exchange represents the most serious escalation so far in the confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which has been worsening since late February.
Pakistan began military operations earlier this year against militants from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan whom Islamabad says are hiding in Afghan territory.
Pakistani officials have also accused the Afghan authorities of allowing fighters linked to Islamic State Khorasan Province to operate from within Afghanistan. The Taliban administration in Kabul has strongly denied the allegations.
Earlier Pakistani air raids targeting areas in Kabul and eastern provinces reportedly killed at least six civilians, including women and children, according to local officials.
Residents in the Pul-e-Charkhi district described homes collapsing after the bombardment, with some people trapped under debris before neighbours rescued them.
Pakistani jets also struck a fuel depot belonging to Kam Air near Kandahar airport. Airport officials said the depot was used to supply humanitarian organisations including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry claimed its forces captured a Pakistani border post and killed 14 soldiers, though Islamabad dismissed the claim as false.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 75 civilians have been killed and nearly 200 injured since clashes escalated on February 26, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 115,000 people have been displaced.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged both countries to pursue dialogue and restraint, warning that further military escalation could deepen the humanitarian crisis and destabilise the wider region.
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