Islamabad: The Taliban government Friday blamed Pakistan for striking the Afghan capital and bombing a market in the country’s east, accusing its neighbor of violating national airspace.
A blast struck before 10 p.m. local time Thursday in the Abdul Haq Square area of Kabul, close to several ministries and the national intelligence agency. Security forces sealed off the site.
The government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at the time that there were no reports of injuries or damage. He described the explosion as an accident and said an investigation was underway.
But Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said Friday that Pakistan was responsible for that attack and for another, in the eastern province of Paktika.
Afghan’s Defense Ministry didn’t say what the source of the bombing was or how Pakistan was able to carry out a strike in an urban center without being shot down.
Pakistan has, in the past, launched strikes inside Afghan territory to target what it says are militant hideouts and installations.
Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters are believed to operate from across the border in Afghanistan, something that the Afghan Taliban deny.
The Afghan Defence Ministry called the recent pair of strikes “unprecedented, violent and heinous.”
It warned that the Pakistani army would face the consequences if the situation became worse. The statement didn’t include information on the alleged targets, casualties or damage.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project monitoring group said that it was unclear who was responsible for the Kabul strike or what the source was. But, if confirmed, it would be the first in the Afghan capital since the US one in 2022 that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Pearl Pandya, a senior analyst with the group, said that Pakistan had increased its use of airstrikes within Afghan territory this year, targeting alleged Pakistani Taliban hideouts.
“These alleged strikes coincide with the Taliban’s first diplomatic trip to India since they returned to power in 2021,” Pandya said. “An improvement in relations between India and Afghanistan is likely to be resented by Islamabad, fearful of any potential destabilizing impact on its western borders.
AP
