Afghanistan’s Taliban government blames Pakistan for twin drone strikes on Kabul

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday that Pakistan had carried out two drone strikes on Kabul the previous day, just before the two neighbors announced a ceasefire following days of fighting that killed dozens in both countries and injured hundreds more.

The truce Wednesday brought at least a temporary halt to the deadliest clashes between the neighbors since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan following the collapse of the Western-backed government as the U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing after 20 years of war.

There was no immediate response in Islamabad to the latest accusations from Kabul and it was not immediately clear how this would affect the ceasefire, which was welcomed Thursday by the United Nations as it urged both sides to bring a lasting end to hostilities.

Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing operations, had earlier told The Associated Press that Pakistani forces had targeted militant hideouts on Wednesday.

Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, told The Associated Press that the strikes hit the city on Wednesday afternoon. He said the drones hit a civilian house and a market. Zadran did not give casualty figures, but hospital doctors said earlier that five people were killed and dozens were injured.

The surgical center run by Emergency, a nongovernmental organization, said people had suffered shrapnel wounds, blunt force trauma, and burns. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, initially said there had been an oil tanker explosion.

Cross-border violence has escalated since Oct. 10, with both Islamabad and Kabul saying they were retaliating to armed provocations from the other.

The truce announced by the two sides Wednesday followed appeals from major regional powers, as the violence threatened to destabilize a region where groups, including the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, are trying to resurface. There were no reports of overnight fighting. Key border crossings remained closed on Thursday.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan welcomed the ceasefire. It said the heaviest toll was in the south on Wednesday.

The mission, known as UNAMA, said on Thursday that 37 civilians were killed and 425 were wounded in Afghanistan as a result of cross-border clashes with Pakistan this week. The casualties took place in Paktya, Paktika, Kunar, Khost, Kandahar and Helmand provinces, it said.

It said it has also documented at least 16 civilian casualties in several Afghan provinces during earlier clashes between the two countries.

“UNAMA calls on all parties to bring a lasting end to hostilities to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life,” the mission added.

Pakistan has not provided figures for civilian casualties suffered on its side of the border. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring militants, a charge rejected by the Taliban. Pakistan is grappling with attacks that have increased since 2021.

Pakistani officials said security forces had shot and killed dozens of militants who crossed over from Afghanistan on Thursday. They were spotted in Mohmand district, northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) long border known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never recognized.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.