Pakistani bombing inside Afghanistan killed 46, says Taliban administration

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration on Wednesday claimed that at least 46 people were killed in a bombing by Pakistani fighter jets in the eastern Paktika province.

Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the interim Taliban administration, said that Pakistani jets bombed four locations in Paktika’s Barmal district on Tuesday night, killing 46 people and injuring six, besides destroying houses, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported.

According to Kabul, this is Pakistan’s second airstrike inside Afghanistan, after the first in March, which was formally protested by the Taliban administration.

Islamabad has yet to respond to the claims made by Kabul.

However, media reports quoting unnamed Pakistani security officials said the fighter jets targeted camps of the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of failing to crack down on TTP militants, who have reportedly been operating from Afghanistan.

Kabul denies the charge.

The TTP has carried out deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces, mainly in border regions, in recent months.

Following the airstrikes, the interim Defense Ministry in Kabul said the Taliban administration “will not leave this cowardly act unanswered but rather considers the defense of its territory and territory to be its inalienable right."