Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of violating its airspace, bombing market

• Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied and was yet to react to latest accusations by Kabul
  
• Explosions were heard in Kabul on Thursday night, while Taliban-led interim administration also says market was bombed in eastern Paktika province

ISLAMABAD

The Interim Afghan administration on Friday accused Pakistan of violating its airspace over the capital, Kabul, and also bombing a market in the eastern province overnight.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said Pakistan violated Afghanistan's airspace by bombing a civilian market in the Margha region of Paktika province near the border, as well as violating the airspace of the capital, Kabul.

"This action is an unprecedented, violent, and reprehensible act in the history of Afghanistan and Pakistan," said the ministry in a statement posted on the US social media company X.

"We condemn this violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty in the strongest terms and consider the defense of our country's sovereignty our legitimate right. Following such actions, no matter how critical the situation becomes, the consequences will be borne by the Pakistani army," it warned.

Late Thursday night, huge explosions were heard in the Afghan capital of Kabul, and interim administration chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: "The incident is under investigation, and no injuries have been reported yet."

Residents said they also heard gunfire after the explosion.

His confirmation came as many Pakistani and Afghan social media accounts claimed that Islamabad targeted Noor Wali Mehsud, the chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, a conglomerate of several militant groups, in Kabul.

However, Mujahid, in an interview with Anadolu, rejected such claims and said Mehsud is not present in Kabul or Afghanistan.

Kabul’s latest accusations came minutes after Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, spoke at a news conference in Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

Sharif neither confirmed nor denied the airstrikes carried out inside Afghanistan but said: "We are doing and will continue to do what is necessary for the protection of our citizens."

He alleged that India is “using Afghanistan as a base of operation for terrorism” in Pakistan.

New Delhi was yet to react to Sharif’s claims.

Chaudhry said Pakistan has repeatedly provided evidence to the Afghan interim administration, calling on them to prevent cross-border terrorism and hand over militants operating from their soil.

135 Afghan nationals involved in attacks

Sharif said the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies have conducted more than 10,000 intelligence-based operations this year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 917 militants, while 311 soldiers lost their lives.

He added that over the last two years, 135 Afghan nationals who were involved in attacks were killed alongside TTP militants.

“30 Afghan citizens carried out suicide bombings inside Pakistan,” he claimed, adding that it is “proof of Afghan involvement in terrorism” within Pakistan.

Reacting to the latest developments, Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi claimed that Islamabad had attacked Afghan areas near the border with Pakistan and warned: “They should learn from the Soviet Union, America, and NATO the consequences of troubling Afghans.”

Muttaqi made the comments during his first trip to India, the archrival of Pakistan.

Speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, Muttaqi said that Kabul seeks friendly and cooperative relations with Pakistan and urged the resolution of differences through dialogue.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share “historic relations,” he said, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy over confrontation.

“We want good relations with Pakistan and believe all issues should be resolved through dialogue, as no issue can be resolved through force,” he said