Kabul: At least 15 people including women and children were killed when Pakistan launched a series of airstrikes on the Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan on Tuesday night, news agency ANI reported.
Attacks involving jets targeted seven villages, including Laman where five members of a family were killed alongside destroying the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal, which intensified the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the area.
Following the airstrike that caused severe civilian casualties flaring up tension in the region, the Taliban's Ministry of Defence has vowed to retaliate.
Meanwhile, citing Khaama Press it is reported that only further investigation can confirm details and clarify responsibility for the attacks.
The Taliban administration, condemning the attack, stated that defending the country and its sovereignty is its legitimate right, adding that ‘Waziristani refugees’ included those targeted by the attack.
No confirmation on the attack has yet come from Pakistani officials across the border; however, security sources linked to the military reportedly claimed that attack was targeted at Taliban hideouts near the border.
The airstrike comes just as the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan is on the rise.
In recent months, the Pakistan Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has intensified attack on Pakistani forces which caused Pakistan to accuse Taliban regime of sheltering the assailants.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi , the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Defence, in a post on X claimed that ‘civilian people, mostly Waziristani refugees’ were killed in Pakistan’s attack.
Khwarazmi claimed that ‘several children and other civilians were martyred and wounded’.
It is reported that at least 15 bodies were recovered signaling at the likelihood of the death count increasing as search operations continue.
The Waziristani refugees are civilians displaced by military operations carried out in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
However, Pakistan claims that Taliban regime protects many TTP commanders in the border provinces.
The presence of TTP members in Afghanistan has been fueling tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban regime.