Pakistani air strikes overnight have killed nine people across three provinces, the Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has posted on X.
“Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident. As a result nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred in Khost province,” the post said.
Four other civilians were also injured in air strikes on Kunar and Paktika provinces. The air strikes came hours after a suicide bombing targeted the Frontier Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area, resulting in the deaths of three personnel.
The attackers were eliminated and as of now no person or group has claimed responsibility. But authorities suspect the Tehreek-e-Taliban’s involvement.
Meanwhile Pakistan’s Consul-General in Jalalabad Shafqatullah Khan, called on Mullah Mohmmad Naeem Akhund, governor of Nangarhar province (of which Jalalabad is the capital). It was the first high level interaction between the two in some time and it’s not clear what was achieved.
But reports say the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October appears to be holding although Pakistan has intensified what it describes as “intelligence-based operations” against militants in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, the Pakistani military claimed to have killed 22 “India-backed fighters” during a raid on a hideout in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border.
The military statement said “Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.”
Pakistan claims India and Afghanistan are supporting attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban although both capitals have denied it, calling out Islamabad for its long time backing of terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba.
Recent border clashes and Pakistani air strikes have resulted in the closure of the border between the two countries with commercial traffic completely stopped. Kabul recently decided to focus more on building trade and commercial links with Iran and India.
