The recent escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been followed by a 48-hour ceasefire, with both sides accusing each other of initiating the violence.
The Taliban claims Pakistan’s artillery fire killed 12 civilians in Spin Boldak, while Pakistan says it targeted Taliban positions, killing at least 25 militants.
The Pakistan Army says drone attacks by the Afghan Taliban have injured four civilians in separate areas of the country.
The Pakistan Army’s media wing, ISPR, stated on March 14 that Taliban drones attempted to target locations in Quetta, Kohat, and Rawalpindi late the previous night, but were intercepted and destroyed before reaching their targets.
The army says the downing of drones injured two children in Quetta and one civilian each in Kohat and Rawalpindi. The Pakistan Army states it will continue operations against the Afghan Taliban until they’re assured that Afghan soil won’t be used for terrorism.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting wrote on X on March 13 that the Islamabad airport was briefly closed after drone activity was detected, but it has since reopened.
However, Pakistani officials haven’t commented on the recent air strikes in Kabul and other areas. But on March 12, Pakistani officials told, that Pakistan had scaled back air strikes in Afghanistan through China’s mediation.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry claims to have targeted Pakistan’s ‘Hamza Camp’ military base. Pakistan’s military says it intercepted drones before they reached their target.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry claims to have targeted a command center and other key facilities using drones, causing significant damage, according to a statement on X.
Earlier, Islamabad police told that the area was cordoned off after reports of a drone falling in Sector 1-9 on Friday evening.
This was the second reported drone incident in Pakistan on Friday. Earlier, Afghanistan’s Taliban government claimed a drone attack on a military base in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Defense Ministry said the attack on Kohat base was in retaliation for Pakistan’s overnight bombings.
Sources close to the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed yesterday that the Taliban government targeted some Pakistani military installations in Faizabad, near Islamabad.
This comes after Afghan Taliban officials claimed on March 13 that Pakistan’s air force attacked a residential area in Kabul’s 21st district, specifically the Charkhi Pule area, on the night of March 12-13. They stated that four civilians were killed and 15 others injured in the attack.
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X on March 13 that Pakistan has launched attacks on Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Paktika, resulting in civilian casualties. He claimed Pakistan’s attacks also targeted a fuel depot near Kandahar airport, belonging to Kam Air, a private airline.
The Pakistani military regime’s aircraft targeted the fuel depot of Kam Air, a private airline, near Kandahar airport. Kam Air supplies fuel to civilian airlines and UN flights. This follows a previous attack on a fuel depot belonging to a private trader, Haji Khanzada.
Mujahid says this depot supplied fuel to civilian airlines and UN flights. He condemned Pakistan’s attacks and warned they won’t go unanswered.
Afghan Taliban officials in Khost province had previously stated on March 12 that the Pakistan military had launched a missile attack on the Sadqa area of Teri and Alisher districts near the Durand Line, killing four people and injuring three.
The ongoing conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, involving clashes between Pakistani forces and the Taliban government along the Durand Line, escalated after Pakistan launched attacks on Afghanistan on February 21-22.
The Taliban Defense Ministry stated on February 22 that the “Pakistani military regime” had killed and injured civilians in attacks on Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. In response, Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops on February 26.
The Pakistani government says it bombed Afghanistan last month in response to attacks on Imam Bari in Islamabad and in Bajaur and Bannu, targeting militant centers. However, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that civilians were targeted in the Nangarhar bombing.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused the Taliban over the past four years of providing safe havens to anti-Islamabad militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Taliban government has repeatedly stated that Afghanistan’s soil won’t be used against any neighboring country, including Pakistan. The TTP itself claims its fighters are in Pakistan and don’t need safe havens in another country.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused the Taliban government of launching drone attacks on “civilian areas” in Pakistan. According to a statement on his official X page, Zardari said Afghan Taliban has crossed a red line and Pakistan won’t tolerate targeting of its civilians. He added that Afghan soil shouldn’t be used for terrorism against neighbors.
The Taliban government had previously claimed to target Pakistani military installations in Faizabad and Kohat after Pakistan’s air force attacked Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, and Paktika. UNAMA confirmed four civilians were killed and 14 injured in the Pakistani air strike on Kabul.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government claims to have targeted a military base in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a drone strike in response to Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan. According to the reports, explosions were heard in Kohat, with drones seen in the air. A drone reportedly hit a house near a military base in Quetta. Officials claim to have foiled three drone attacks in Peshawar.
Flights at Islamabad International Airport were temporarily suspended due to operational reasons, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). However, normal operations have since resumed. The Taliban government’s Defense Ministry claims to have targeted a military command center and other key facilities in the area using drones, causing significant damage.
Muttaqi says, Afghanistan has the right to defend itself, but supports a political solution to the crisis.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made these remarks in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, according to a statement released by the ministry on X today, March 13. Muttaqi emphasized the government’s focus on an “economy-oriented foreign policy” and desire for “trust, mutual respect, and expanded economic cooperation” with neighboring and regional countries, according to the statement.
Muttaqi also told Wang Yi that “Afghanistan has the legitimate right to defend its people and territorial integrity, but at the same time, supports a political solution to prevent escalation of the crisis.”
Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that Pakistan’s bombings and missile attacks mostly target civilians, women, and children, and destroy civilian infrastructure, contrary to Pakistan’s claims of targeting “terrorists”.
Wang Yi stated that military actions won’t solve issues and will escalate tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. China is willing to play a constructive role in promoting understanding and building trust, according to the statement.
Afghan diaspora worldwide condemned Pakistan’s recent attacks on Afghan soil, urging the international community to act. In London, protesters from the Pashtun Protection Movement and Afghan community demanded accountability for civilian casualties outside the UK Parliament.
The UN reports at least 75 civilians killed and 193 injured in Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan since February 26. The Norwegian Refugee Council says 115,000 civilians have been displaced in eastern Afghanistan due to recent Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes. The organization calls for civilian protection and access to humanitarian aid, highlighting the plight of Pashtuns on both sides of the border, who face violence and persecution, including in Pakistan where they’re targeted by the military.
By- Laiba Yousafzai
