Kabul: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior spokesperson Abdul Matin Qane Tuesday warned that the country will give a ‘teeth-breaking response’ to the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan in Kabul, local media reported.
Afghan officials said that the strike targeted the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul’s Pul-e-Charkhi area, killing at least 400 people and injuring 250 others. Qane said recovery efforts were being made Tuesday as emergency teams were searching for bodies under the rubble, Afghanistan-based Ariana News reported.
Qane said Afghanistan considers Pakistan’s latest strike as major escalation and warned of a response. He said, “Such attacks cannot go unanswered,” reiterating that Afghan authorities consider the incident a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty, Ariana News reported.
The incident marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent weeks due to airstrikes, artillery fire, and accusations from both sides.
Afghan authorities have condemned what they term Pakistan’s military operations in Afghanistan, especially in eastern and southeastern provinces.
In recent weeks, Afghan officials have said that strikes and shelling incidents have caused casualties and damage to infrastructure. Meanwhile, Islamabad has claimed it is targeting militant groups that are using Afghan soil for launching attacks in Pakistan.
Earlier March 14, deputy spokesman of the Afghan government Hamdullah Fitrat said that Pakistani airstrikes claimed four lives and injured 25 others in the Afghan capital Kabul early Friday.
The official said Pakistan, apart from Kabul, also conducted air raids on Kandahar, Paktika, Khost and Nangarhar provinces Thursday night and Friday. An oil depot was targeted in Kandahar, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The current round of hostilities began when Taliban-led Afghan forces launched retaliatory operations against Pakistani military installations February 27, following Pakistan’s actions targeting militants inside Afghan territory February 21.
Following Afghanistan’s attacks, Pakistan launched ‘Operation Ghazab lil-Haq’ (Righteous Fury) in response to what it described as “unprovoked firing” by the Afghan forces across multiple border sectors.
