Afghanistan reports Pakistani airstrikes to the UN Security Council

KABUL; Afghanistan’s permanent mission to the United Nations has officially reported the Pakistani airstrikes on the districts of Khogyani, Ghani Khel, and Behsud in Nangarhar, as well as Barmal in Paktika, to the UN Security Council. Nasir Ahmad Faiq, the acting head of Afghanistan’s mission, emphasized that the country is seeking “immediate action, cessation of these violations, accountability, respect for territorial integrity, and full adherence to international law.” Pakistani fighter jets bombed areas in Nangarhar and Paktika around midnight on Saturday. The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense announced that it will provide a “calculated response at the appropriate time,” labeling attacks on civilians and religious sites as signs of the intelligence and security failures of the Pakistani military. Pakistani officials have stated that these attacks targeted hideouts of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the ISIS-Khorasan branch, claiming that approximately 70 militants were killed. However, the Taliban described these strikes as “aggression against civilians,” stating that more than 20 civilians, including women and children, were killed in Nangarhar. The Pakistani Ministry of Information previously stated that these attacks were “retaliatory” responses to suicide bombings and vehicle bombs that occurred in Shia mosques in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu during Ramadan.