Kabul, Mar 14 (V7N) — Pakistani aircraft carried out overnight airstrikes across several areas of Afghanistan on Thursday night, targeting locations near Kandahar Airport and other provinces, leaving at least six people, including children, dead and 12 others injured, according to the Taliban administration.

Authorities in Afghanistan said the strikes occurred late Thursday (Mar 12) and included an attack on a fuel depot belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar Airport. Additional strikes were reported in Kabul and Nangarhar provinces.

Officials from the Taliban-led government confirmed that the bombardment caused civilian casualties. Among the dead were children, while at least 12 people sustained injuries.

A 35-year-old Kabul resident, Murselin, who lives with his wife and five children, described the terrifying moments during the attack.

“I suddenly woke up as explosions shook the area. The surroundings were covered in dust. A few minutes later, I heard my children screaming in fear,” he said. According to him, his sister and her two young children were also injured in the strike.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid strongly condemned the attack and warned that Afghanistan would respond. He said the fuel depot targeted in Kandahar supplies fuel to civilian aircraft as well as aircraft operated by the United Nations.

Mujahid further warned that the attack could heighten instability in the region. He noted that tensions are already high due to ongoing conflicts across parts of the Middle East, and such strikes could worsen the fragile security situation.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained tense in recent months. Last month, the two countries were involved in a cross-border escalation after Pakistan launched strikes that Kabul later responded to with retaliatory attacks, resulting in multiple casualties.

Diplomatic efforts led by China had temporarily eased the situation, but Thursday night’s strikes appear to have reignited tensions between the neighboring countries.

Sources within Pakistan’s military said the operation targeted four suspected militant facilities in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces. The military acknowledged striking a fuel depot in Kandahar but claimed the sites were linked to security threats.

However, Pakistan’s government has not yet issued an official public statement regarding the airstrikes.

The latest incident is expected to further complicate relations between the two countries and raise concerns among regional and international observers about the risk of renewed escalation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

END/WD/SMA/