Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Cross-Border Strikes Killing Civilians, Calls It 'War Crime'
Al Jazeera Staff
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of a cross-border airstrike that killed three civilians and wounded 14 in Kunar province, calling it a 'war crime'. Islamabad denies the charge, suggesting Kabul may be staging the incident to smear Pakistan. The incident tests a fragile China-brokered ceasefire between the two neighbors.
On Monday (local time), the Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan accused neighboring Pakistan of conducting a cross-border attack that killed three civilians. Kabul called it a 'war crime'.
Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat posted on social media platform X that 14 others were wounded in the incident. Fitrat alleged that Islamabad deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including homes, a school, a health center, and mosques in Dangam, Kunar province, which lies along the border with Pakistan.
This is the latest episode to test a fragile ceasefire between the two nations, brokered by China in April after months of cross-border clashes that killed and wounded hundreds.
For its part, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the allegations. In a post on X, the ministry said images released by Afghanistan showing damage did not match artillery attacks. Islamabad suspects Kabul may be staging scenes of destruction as part of 'propaganda efforts' to discredit Pakistan, following cross-border attacks in March and April that killed nine people, which Islamabad blamed on its neighbor.
Tensions escalated as on the same Monday, a person was killed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border when security forces thwarted a suicide attack at a checkpoint. Several others were injured as security personnel opened fire on the attacker's vehicle, which was laden with explosives and speeding towards a military post. The vehicle exploded before reaching its target.
Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), told Al Jazeera that Pakistan faces many challenges in conducting cross-border strikes. 'Accuracy is a real issue for Pakistan when carrying out cross-border attacks. Effective and perfect intelligence is the missing link; without it, controlling collateral damage becomes a central challenge. What we also see is that Pakistan's security situation has deteriorated significantly since the war with Iran began on February 28,' Rana said.
Rana added that he does not expect a diplomatic breakthrough soon. 'Pakistan's diplomatic capital is increasing, and they are unwilling to concede to Kabul, while the Afghan side asks why they should concede anything,' he said.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harboring the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a Pakistani Taliban faction operating against the government, while Kabul denies the charge.
