9 Children Among 10 Killed As Pakistan Strikes Afghanistan’s Eastern Province, Kabul Calls Out Atrocities

Kabul, Afghanistan: Pakistani bombing in Afghanistan on Monday night resulted in the death of nine children and one adult, Afghanistan's Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday.

In a post on X, the spokesperson said, "Last night at around 12 o'clock in the Gorbuz district of Khost province, in the Mughalgai area, the Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident, Waliat Khan, son of Qazi Mir. As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls)"

In a subsequent post the spokesperson said that one woman was killed, and her house was destroyed. Air strikes also occurred in Kunar and Paktika, where four civilians were injured, he said.

Afghanistan Reacts to Atrocities

Afghanistan has also issued a formal statement on the matter. Zabihullah Mujahid, Spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has reacted sharply to the strikes describing them as a "violation of Afghanistan's airspace".

"Last night, the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistan Army in Afghanistan's Paktika, Khost, and Kunar provinces are not only a clear violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty and airspace, but this action is also an open breach of internationally recognized principles and laws by the Pakistani administration," Mujahid said.

He lashed out at Pakistan for the "failure" of its "military regime".

"The Pakistani military cannot achieve any success through aggression of this nature. Rather, it has once again been proven that acting on the basis of false information only worsens the situation. As a result, nothing comes to the forefront except the failure and disgrace of Pakistan's military regime," said Mujahid.

He said Afghanistan condemns the violation of Pakistan and said that a befitting response will be given to Pakistan at the right time.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this violation and criminal act in the harshest terms and once again clarifies that it considers the defense of its air and ground borders, and its nation, as its legitimate right. An appropriate response will be given at the appropriate time, God willing," he said.

Earlier, a Pakistani diplomat met a senior Afghan governor in Jalalabad, marking the first high-level contact between the two sides in months amid rising security concerns in the region, Dawn reported.

Former US Envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad gave a call for realistic diplomacy and shared that there are reports of a Turkish delegation to visit Islamabad and Kabul to push for an agreement between the countries so as to prevent the use of territories for threatening security.

“The killing of civilians and risking a broader war is not the answer to the problems between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Patient and realistic diplomacy is a much better option. There are reports that a senior Turkish delegation will visit Islamabad and perhaps Kabul soon to push for an agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan not to allow their territories to be used by groups or individuals to threaten the security of each other,” Khalilzad wrote on X.

Pakistan Army will hold a press briefing on the matter shortly, according to reports.

(With inputs from agencies)