Pakistan confirmed strikes killed ‘terrorists' in eastern Paktika province
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Thursday it received "credible" reports that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes by Pakistan's military forces in eastern Paktika province.
"International law obliges military forces to take necessary precautions to prevent civilian harm, including distinguishing between civilians and combatants in operations," UNAMA said in a statement.
It demanded an investigation into the strikes to ensure "accountability, prevent recurrence and uphold victims' rights."
Pakistan confirmed Thursday that it carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan that killed "terrorists."
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in Islamabad that security forces carried out a security "operation" on the "basis of solid evidence.”
The interim Taliban administration in Kabul claimed late Tuesday that the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes, the second cross-border action by Islamabad since March, in the Barmal district of Paktika province.
The Taliban administration deputy spokesman Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat said Wednesday that the bombing killed 46 people, including women and children, and injured six others. He added houses were also destroyed.
Baloch, however, rejected the reports of Pakistan targeting children and women.
Kabul also lodged a protest with Islamabad by summoning Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Afghanistan.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of failing to crack down on TTP militants, who have reportedly been operating from Afghanistan.
Kabul denies the charge.
The TTP has carried out deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces, mainly in border regions, in recent months.
Following the airstrikes, the interim Defense Ministry in Kabul said the Taliban administration “will not leave this cowardly act unanswered."
