India condemns Pakistan's airstrikes in Afghanistan

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - India condemned Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Monday, which the interim Taliban administration claimed killed 46 people, including women and children.

“We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal in a statement.

India "unequivocally" condemns any attack on innocent civilians, he added, saying, “It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures.”

The Pakistani military conducted airstrikes in the eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan on Dec. 24. Taliban officials accused Islamabad of violating Afghan territory while simultaneously claiming to seek peace.

Islamabad, however, stated that Pakistani security forces carried out the security "operation" based on "solid evidence" and that they had killed "terrorists."

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also reported receiving "credible" information indicating that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes by Pakistan’s military forces in eastern Paktika.

Kabul further lodged a formal protest with Islamabad, summoning Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Afghanistan and vowing to "not leave this cowardly act unanswered."