New Delhi/Kabul, March 14 – India strongly condemned the latest strikes by Pakistan inside Afghan territory, which have resulted in the deaths of several civilians and significant damage to local infrastructure. India described this as another act of aggression by a Pakistani establishment that remains hostile to the idea of a sovereign Afghanistan.
On Saturday, Afghan officials confirmed that several civilians were killed in the Pakistani airstrikes on Friday in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktika, and Paktia provinces.
"India condemns the air strikes by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s territory, leading to the death of several civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure. This is yet another act of aggression by a Pakistani establishment that remains hostile to the idea of a sovereign Afghanistan," said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in response to media queries on the recent attacks by Pakistan on Afghanistan.
"India reiterates that Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected," the statement added.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said on Saturday that at least four people have been killed and over 25 injured in the Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul.
According to the official, in addition to Kabul, Pakistan also conducted air raids on Kandahar, Paktika, Khost, and Nangarhar provinces on Thursday night and Friday. In Kandahar, an oil depot was reportedly targeted.
Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence said on Friday that it has also conducted strikes on Pakistani military centres and installations in the Kohat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in retaliation to the airstrikes launched by Islamabad on Thursday night, which resulted in several civilian casualties on the Afghan side.
According to the statement released by Kabul, the military fort in Kohat and the war command centre along the Durand Line were targeted during the strike.
In a statement shared on X, Afghanistan's Ministry of National Defence stated, "In response to last night’s incursions by the Pakistani military regime, Afghan air forces conducted strikes this morning on strategic military centres and installations of the Pakistani army in the Kohat area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."