Tragic Casualties Reported Following Pakistani Air Strikes in Northeastern Afghanistan

At least three people have lost their lives in northeastern Afghanistan as a result of Pakistani air raids, according to Afghan officials. Farid Dehqan, the Kunar provincial spokesperson, informed Al Jazeera that the air attack struck the Nurgal district around 4am local time on Monday, resulting in three fatalities and four injuries within the mountainous province of Kunar.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban deputy spokesperson, stated on X that at least one house was hit, killing three members of a single family and injuring four others. He added that two locations were bombarded in the Barmal district of Paktika province, destroying a shop and an unoccupied house with no casualties reported.

Pakistan has not yet issued an immediate comment regarding these alleged attacks, which risk reviving tensions between the neighbouring nations following a period of nearly three months of relative calm. Relations have remained strained since February due to a dispute over cross-border violence, with Islamabad alleging that Kabul harbours armed groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan, a charge denied by Afghanistan's Taliban government.

These air raids follow a recent statement by Pakistan's Ministry of Information warning that the country could strike fighters inside Afghanistan in response to domestic attacks, specifically blaming a deadly mosque bombing in Kohat on fighters based in Afghanistan.