Zürcher Nachrichten - Afghan govt says Pakistan strikes Kabul and border provinces

Pakistani security sources said they carried out "successful airstrikes" against "four terrorist hideouts" in Kabul and frontier provinces, as well as destroying an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport.

Islamabad last month launched a military operation against its neighbour, targeting Islamist extremists following growing attacks in Pakistan.

But the Taliban government has denied any involvement or the use of Afghan territory for militancy.

Kabul police spokesman Khalil Zadran said four people had been killed and 15 wounded when homes were hit in the capital, with women and children among the victims.

An AFP team in the Guzar area of Kabul saw one destroyed house and around a dozen others that were badly damaged, with collapsed roofs and walls.

There was a sizeable police presence in the area and visibly shocked local residents were in the streets, including some with bandaged faces.

"Two men and two women were martyred," Abdul Rahim Tarakil, a local representative, told AFP.

"There aren't any military posts here... There are only ordinary people, poor people. They don't have any involvement in politics."

Abdul Wahid, a 29-year-old daily labourer, said he and four family members were wounded when his house was hit at about 12:10am local time (1910 GMT Thursday).

"Suddenly, a noise came from another house. I don't know what happened afterwards. All these bricks fell on me. Women and children were under the rubble as well," he added.

"I was there for 10 minutes as if it was my last breath. Then my neighbours came and removed the bricks... and took us to the clinic."

- Border clashes -

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X that Pakistani strikes also hit the southern province of Kandahar, as well as eastern Paktia and Paktika, which border Pakistan.

In Kandahar, which is home to the administration's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, air strikes hit a fuel depot for airline Kam Air, near the airport.

The company supplies fuel to civilian airlines and United Nations aircraft.

In Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, a local army spokesman said anti-aircraft defences responded to Pakistani aircraft that flew overhead.

Residents reported firing from both sides near the Torkham border crossing, an AFP correspondent said, while a senior police officer in Kohat, northwest Pakistan, said "explosive material" was dropped from "terrorist drones", wounding three.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday that the border attacks "significantly damaged" its transit centre in Torkham for Afghans deported en masse from Pakistan.

"IOM will assess the damage and resume services for Afghan returnees as soon as conditions allow," it added on X.

Pakistan insists it has not killed any civilians in the conflict. Casualty claims from both sides are difficult to verify independently.

There have been repeated clashes at the border in recent weeks, hampering trade and forcing nearby residents to leave their homes.

The United Nations' mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has said 56 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan, including 24 children, by Pakistani military operations between February 26 and March 5.

About 115,000 people were forced to leave their homes, according to the UN refugee agency.

Dozens of people were killed in fighting between the two countries in October last year, which led to the near-total closure of the border.

Clashes reduced after mediation but the conflict intensified on February 26, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive, in retaliation for earlier Pakistani air strikes targeting the TTP.

Seven civilians, including four members of the same family, had been killed in attacks on Tuesday and overnight Wednesday to Thursday, the authorities in Kabul said.

A.P.Huber--NZN