Politics · Singapore Bureau
Pakistani airstrikes kill nine in Afghanistan as tensions flare
Pakistan has conducted airstrikes across its border into Afghanistan, killing at least nine people and wounding eleven others, according to the Taliban government. The attacks mark a sharp escalation in hostilities between the neighbouring nations after a three-month lull in cross-border violence.
LSN Singapore ·
The airstrikes occurred on Thursday, targeting locations within Afghan territory as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul intensify. The Taliban's de facto administration reported the casualties and characterised the strikes as an unprovoked military action by Pakistani forces.
The incident represents a significant deterioration in the fragile relationship between the two South Asian neighbours. The region had experienced a relative period of stability over the previous quarter, with cross-border military operations largely subdued following earlier cycles of escalating violence.
Pakistan has not yet issued an official statement regarding the airstrikes. Historically, Islamabad has justified such operations as targeting militant groups operating from Afghan soil, particularly those it accuses of launching attacks into Pakistani territory.
The renewed conflict underscores the broader instability affecting the region since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan last year. Both nations have struggled to manage militant insurgencies and cross-border security concerns, with previous rounds of retaliatory strikes and counter-strikes destabilising civilian populations in border areas.