At least 10 people were killed when Pakistan violated a ceasefire late on Friday and launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, AFP reported, citing officials.
It came two days after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a ceasefire, which was followed by nearly a week of bloody border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians near the border.
“Pakistan violated the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika (province),” a senior Taliban official said, according to the news agency.
He promised that “Afghanistan will be revenge”.
Among the 10 dead are two children
An official at a provincial hospital in Afghanistan said 10 civilians had died and 12 others were injured in fresh airstrikes on the ground by the Pakistani air force.
Two children were among those who died, he told AFP, as the war between Pakistan and Afghanistan took a new turn.
Three dead cricketers
Three Afghan players who were in the Paktika region for a tournament were killed in airstrikes by Pakistan, the Afghanistan Cricket Board quoted AFP as saying.
Read also | Suicide attack near Afghan border kills 7 Pak soldiers amid ceasefire
The Cricket Board further said it is withdrawing from the Tri-Nation T20I Series featuring Pakistan, which is scheduled to begin next month.’
What did Pakistan say?
A senior security official in Pakistan confirmed the attacks on Afghanistan to AFP, saying the forces “conducted precision airstrikes” on the Afghan border.
The official added that the attacks were launched against the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, a local faction linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – the Pakistani Taliban.
Read also | ‘Cease fire broken’: Taliban official says Pakistan strikes hit Afghanistan
Islamabad has accused the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of being responsible for a suicide bombing and shooting attack at an army camp in North Waziristan district that left seven Pakistani soldiers dead. North Waziristan district is located on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
war between Pakistan and Afghanistan
The war between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated last Saturday, days after explosions rocked the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring terrorists and terrorist groups led by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its territory.
Afghanistan has repeatedly denied the claim.
The war between Pakistan and Afghanistan continues?
After the attacks last Saturday, Afghanistan launched its own attacks on Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to promise strong action.
When the ceasefire began at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, Islamabad said it was to last for 48 hours, but Kabul said the ceasefire would remain in place until Pakistan violated it.
Read also | Pakistani soldiers’ trousers displayed by the Taliban after border clashes| Viral image
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif accused Kabul of acting as a “proxy of India” and a “conspiracy” against Pakistan.
“From now on, demarches will no longer be framed as calls for peace and delegations will not be sent to Kabul,” Asif wrote in a post on X.
“Wherever the source of terrorism is, it will have to pay a heavy price,” Asif said.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his forces had been ordered not to attack unless Pakistani forces attacked first.
“If so, then you have every right to defend your country,” he said in an interview with the Afghan TV station Ariana, relaying the message sent to the soldiers.
