Taliban Reports 14 Civilian Deaths in Pakistani Air and Artillery Attacks
The Taliban administration has reported the deaths of at least 14 civilians following air and artillery strikes by Pakistani forces on parts of Kandahar and Kunar provinces. Hamdullah Fetrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban administration, announced the news on Saturday, March 9, through a press release.
According to Fetrat, the Takht-e-Pul area in Kandahar province was bombarded at 8:30 a.m. The statement indicated that three returnee migrants working as laborers were killed and seven others sustained injuries in this incident.
Fetrat also claimed that the city of Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, was targeted last night by long-range artillery. The released statement reported that seven civilians, including women and children, were killed and one person was injured in this attack.
Furthermore, around 10 p.m. in the Nari district of Kunar, four residents, including one woman, were reportedly killed and five others wounded due to mortar and artillery shelling.
So far, Pakistani officials have not officially responded to these allegations. Similarly, the United Nations or independent international organizations have not released separate casualty figures for these incidents.
Meanwhile, Pakistan announced on Saturday that it had killed “331 Taliban terrorists.” Border tensions between the two sides have escalated in recent months, raising increased concerns about the safety of residents in border areas.
The Taliban administration condemned the attacks and warned that the continuation of such actions could further destabilize the situation along the border line. However, critics emphasize that the lack of transparent mechanisms and effective security management by the Taliban administration has facilitated the recurrence of such incidents, with civilians bearing the brunt of these tensions.
