Pakistans Shelling in Afghanistan Claims Lives of Children and Civilians

Afghanistan Reports Fatalities from Cross-Border Clashes with Pakistan

A family of four, including two children, has been killed in eastern Afghanistan following artillery and mortar fire from Pakistani forces, according to the Taliban government. The incident occurred on Thursday in the village of Sadqo in Khost province.

The death toll in Afghanistan since Tuesday’s clashes has risen to seven people, with authorities in Kabul attributing the fatalities to cross-border exchanges between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The latest deaths were reported early on Thursday, with four members of a nomad family, including one woman and one man, as well as two children, killed.

Pakistan maintains that it does not target civilians, but Afghan officials have accused the country of deliberately targeting civilian homes and nomads’ tents. Pakistani authorities have denied these claims, stating that they conducted “targeted operations with due diligence” to minimize harm to civilians.

The clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified on February 26, just two days before the US and Israel attacked Iran. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has reported 56 civilian casualties, including 24 children, resulting from Pakistani military operations from February 26 to March 5.

Pakistan has confirmed about 12 soldiers killed and 27 wounded in the latest fighting, while the Taliban claims to have killed over 150 fighters. The UN estimates that around 115,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the conflict.

Source: Al Jazeera