Attacks by the Pakistani military regime along the Durand Line continue. The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that Pakistani forces fired mortar shells the previous night at Kot village in Dand Patan district of Paktia Province, hitting a civilian home. As a result, three civilians were killed and three others were injured.
Hamdullah Fitrat added that Pakistani militias also fired 116 mortar and DC artillery shells at civilian homes in Shkin District and Barmal District of Paktika Province.
He said:
“Pakistani militias fired DC artillery and mortar shells, causing casualties and financial damage to some of our citizens. In Kot village of Dand Patan district in Paktia, three civilians were killed and three others wounded when mortar shells hit their homes. Hundreds of mortar and DC shells were also fired in Shkin and Barmal districts of Paktika. However, since the area had already been evacuated and residents had moved elsewhere, there were no casualties there, though people suffered heavy property losses.”
According to him, several villages in Zazi Maidan District of Khost Province were also targeted with heavy weapons, forcing many families to flee their homes.
Fitrat further stated that since yesterday, mortar and artillery fire from Pakistan has also struck the Nowabad, Donizha, and Dabba areas of Kamdesh District in Nuristan Province, forcing residents to abandon their homes. Houses were damaged and 20 livestock were killed, though there were no human casualties as people had already evacuated.
He added that in seven villages of Zazi Maidan district in Khost, Pakistani forces carried out mortar and artillery attacks, injuring two civilians and destroying several homes.
These attacks come at a time when Pakistan had sent a three-member delegation to Kabul the previous day. Sources confirmed the visit, saying the delegation came to discuss ways to resolve the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
Military affairs expert Mohammad Sadiq Shinwari said the continuation of such attacks not only negatively affects diplomatic peace efforts but also weakens trust between the two sides.
Meanwhile, Ismatilla Ergashev, the special envoy of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, held an online meeting with Gilles Bertrand, the European Union’s special envoy for Afghanistan. According to Uzbek media, the two sides discussed the situation between Afghanistan and Pakistan and cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union regarding Afghanistan.
Experts say Pakistan has long pursued a policy of interference in Afghanistan, and they stress that the country should learn from past experiences and work toward genuinely friendly relations.
