Pakistan firebombs Afghan provinces; 8 people killed

KABUL: Pakistan on carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan that killed eight civilians, including three children, Afghan Taliban said, amidst a war of words between the two neighbours for a spate of recent militant attacks in restive Pakistani cities.

An Afghan interim government official confirmed that strikes in the Afghanistan provinces of Paktika and Khost along the Pakistan border have taken place. There was no immediate reaction from the Pakistani side.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Afghan rulers, alleged in a statement that Pakistani aircraft had carried out the airstrikes, the Dawn newspaper reported from Kabul.

At “around 3 am, Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes” in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan, said Afghan interim government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, claiming that all eight people killed were women and children. Mujahid said that Pakistani planes had bombed the Laman area in Paktika’s Barmal district. Alleging that “houses of common people were targeted”, he said three women and three children were killed in Paktika and a house collapsed while two women were killed in Khost, where a house was destroyed as well.

“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the attacks and describes these as non-serious actions and violation of Afghanistani territory,” Mujahid said. He asked Pakistan to stop blaming Afghanistan for its problems and failure to control violent incidents.

“Such acts can lead to dire consequences which will not be in control of Pakistan,” he warned.

The strikes come a day after President Zardari vowed retaliation following the killing of seven soldiers, including two officers, in a terrorist attack on a security forces’ post in North Waziristan.