Four Afghan civilians, including children, killed in Pakistan attacks

Four people, including three children and a woman, have been killed in an overnight attack by Pakistani forces on eastern Afghanistan, according to local officials. The incident occurred at midnight (19:30 GMT on Sunday) when Pakistani forces fired mortar shells on the Nari village of Gurbuz district in Khost province, killing a woman and a child. Additionally, two children were killed in the Afghan Dubai area of Khost.

Separately, government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat reported that one person was killed in the eastern province of Nuristan when shelling hit a civilian home on Sunday. The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun mobilizing to provide food assistance to over 20,000 displaced families in Afghanistan due to the ongoing conflict.

According to WFP country director John Aylieff, the organization is committed to providing immediate lifesaving support. “Afghanistan is caught between two conflicts,” he stated. “Any further instability will push millions deeper into hunger while adding strain to a region already on the brink.”

The conflict has been ongoing for three consecutive weeks, with cross-border fighting resulting in at least 18 civilian deaths. Tensions escalated in late February when Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani air attacks that Kabul claimed killed civilians.

China’s special envoy Yue Xiaoyong spent a week mediating between the two countries and urging an immediate ceasefire. Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China has consistently mediated the conflict through its own channels.

Source: Al Jazeera