Kabul, February 27 — Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai strongly condemned what he described as renewed Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities and said Afghans would respond to any aggression with unity and courage. In a post on X he said Pakistani aircraft had bombed Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia and urged Pakistan to abandon violence and adopt a policy of good neighbourliness and respect. He posted the same message in Pashto, reiterating calls for national unity.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defence said on Thursday that retaliatory operations along the Durand Line killed 55 Pakistani soldiers. The ministry said the operation began at 8:00 PM on the 9th of Ramadan (February 26) in response to an earlier alleged violation of Afghan territory, which it said had resulted in civilian deaths. It said Afghan forces struck Pakistani military posts near Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan, claiming two bases and 19 posts were destroyed or captured, an enemy tank was hit, a large transport vehicle seized, and dozens of weapons and supplies taken. The ministry reported eight Afghan fighters killed and 11 wounded, and said 13 civilians were injured in a missile attack on a refugee camp in Nangarhar.
Pakistan, for its part, said it launched an operation it named ‘Ghazab Lil Haq’ targeting the Afghan Taliban regime. Pakistani officials cited by ARY News said 133 Taliban fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded; Geo News reported Pakistani forces destroyed 27 Taliban posts and captured nine. Pakistani security operations were reported across several border districts, including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X accusing the Pakistani military of airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia but said there were no reported casualties.
The Durand Line, the 2,611-kilometre border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains a longstanding and disputed issue; Afghanistan has not officially recognised the boundary. Each side has issued competing claims about cross-border incidents, casualties and the scale of operations.
This report is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received; the publisher assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
