Pakistan Army Denies Afghan Allegations of Airstrikes Amid Escalating Border Tensions
Image Source: Internet
Pakistan's military has strongly denied allegations made by the Afghan Taliban government that it carried out airstrikes in three eastern Afghan provinces. The accusations follow a surge in militant attacks along the border, which has heightened tensions between the two nations. According to Afghan officials, the airstrikes targeted a house in Khost province, killing nine children and a woman, and injured four others in Kunar and Paktika provinces. However, Pakistan's military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, flatly denied the claims, saying that the country has not attacked civilians inside Afghanistan. Chaudhry also criticized the Afghan Taliban for failing to distinguish between terrorists and other groups, and urged the administration to make decisions as a state rather than acting as a non-state actor. The remarks come amid a heated exchange between the two governments, with Pakistan accusing the Afghan Taliban of allowing militant groups to use their soil to launch attacks on Pakistan. The alleged airstrikes in Afghanistan occurred just hours after a devastating suicide attack on Pakistan's paramilitary Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, which killed three personnel and injured 12 others. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion has fallen on the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has stepped up its activity in recent months. The denial by Pakistan's military is the latest development in a long-standing dispute between the two nations over allegations of cross-border attacks and the failure of the Afghan Taliban to prevent militant groups from using their territory to target Pakistan.
