India has strongly denounced Pakistan's recent airstrikes inside Afghanistan, describing the attacks as a serious violation of Afghan sovereignty that has claimed the lives of several civilians, including women and children. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the cross-border strikes represent an unacceptable act of aggression that undermines regional peace and stability.
Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, India extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished a swift recovery to those injured in the attacks.
Reiterating its consistent position, India affirmed its steadfast support for Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, while calling attention to the need for preserving peace and stability in the region.
36 civilians killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan
Fresh violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has left at least 36 civilians dead and more than 160 others injured, according to Afghan officials. The overnight airstrikes and military operation have further increased tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Pakistan said its security forces carried out a ground operation near the border late on Sunday before launching airstrikes on what it described as militant hideouts and safe havens. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation killed 29 militants and was launched in response to a series of recent militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Taliban Government rebukes strikes
Afghanistan's Taliban government strongly criticised the strikes, calling them a "cowardly act of aggression" and an "act of brutality". Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban administration, said Pakistani forces hit a house in Chamkani district of Paktia province, killing an elderly man and a child and injuring other members of the family.
Fitrat said a second strike took place after local residents gathered to help the victims. According to him, the follow-up attack killed 28 villagers and wounded 158 others.
In a separate incident, six people, most of them women and children, were killed when another house was struck in Giyan district of Paktika province. Afghan officials also reported that a civilian home in Kunar province was hit. Although no people were injured there, around 30 livestock were killed.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant attacks targeting police and security personnel in recent years. The government has blamed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied militant groups for most of the violence. While the TTP is a separate organisation, it maintains close ties with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who returned to power in 2021.
The latest military operation came shortly after militants attacked the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Pakistani security forces said they killed three attackers and arrested another wounded suspect, who was identified as an Afghan national.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction that split from the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack.
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