On Saturday, the Foreign Office stated that it was “investigating” reports of alleged action by Pakistani forces in the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Khost.
The FO’s response was in response to claims made by an Afghan government official and a Kunar province resident that Pakistani forces fired rockets early today, killing six people.
“Five children and a woman were killed, and a man was injured,” Najibullah Hassan Abdaal, the provincial director of information, claimed.
Ehsanullah, a resident of the Shelton district where the alleged attack occurred, claimed it was carried out by Pakistani military planes. Ehsanullah goes by one name as many Afghans do.
Another Afghan government official claimed that a pre-dawn bombardment occurred in Afghanistan’s Khost province, near the Pakistani border.
On the condition of anonymity, the official claimed that “Pakistani helicopters bombarded four villages” in Khost, adding that “there were casualties.”
Gul Markhan, an Afghan tribal elder from Khost, also spoke to the AFP about the incident in Khost.
Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, has yet to respond to questions about the Afghan allegations, and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has yet to issue a statement in this regard.
According to an Afghan Foreign Ministry statement, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Deputy Defence Minister Mullah Shirin Akhund met with the Pakistani ambassador today and “condemned the recent attacks on Khost and Kunar provinces, emphasizing the prevention of such acts.”
“Minister Muttaqi stated that all military violations, including those in Khost and Kunar, must be avoided because such acts deteriorate relations between the two countries, allowing antagonists to exploit the situation, resulting in unintended consequences,” according to the statement.
It went on to say that the Pakistani envoy was given a strong demarche.
The alleged attacks were also condemned by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) urges the Pakistani side not to put Afghan patience to the test on such issues.”
“Problems between the two countries must be resolved through political means,” he added.
MNA Mohsin Dawar also brought up the issue during today’s National Assembly session, calling the reported incident “highly tragic.”
He claimed that the alleged victims were internally displaced people from North Waziristan who crossed into Afghanistan before Zarb-i-Azab began.
“Yesterday night, Pakistan Army and Air Force planes carried out bombardments across the Afghan border, killing over 40 people,” the MNA stated.
The Pakistan army said on Friday that terrorists ambushed a military convoy near the Pakistan-Afghan border in the general area of Isham, North Waziristan District, killing seven Pakistani security personnel.
Own troops launched an immediate response, effectively engaging and killing four terrorists. “However, seven soldiers embraced Shahadat during an intense exchange of fire,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan has long claimed that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has used Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistani border posts.