Kabul, March 22 (IANS) Taliban accused Pakistani forces of firing on civilians in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Paktika provinces on Sunday, killing one person and injuring another.
Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said that Pakistani forces fired mortar rounds on the Shanpat area of Nari district in Kunar at around 9.30 a.m. (local time). He said that one person was killed and a woman was injured in the attack.
Pakistani forces opened fire on a civilian vehicle in Paktika’s Shkin district, but no one was injured in the attack, he said.
“Today, Sunday, the fourth day of Eid al-Fitr, at 9:30 a.m., a mortar shell was fired by the Pakistani military regime in the Shanpat area of Nari district of Kunar province, resulting in the injury of a woman and the martyrdom of a civilian. Similarly, the militias of the said regime fired on a civilian vehicle in Shkin district of Paktika province. Fortunately, the passengers of the said vehicle escaped unharmed, and there were no casualties,” Fitrat posted on X.
The developments come despite a ceasefire announced by Afghanistan and Pakistan on the occasion of Eid. However, the Taliban has accused Pakistani forces of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and conducting attacks in Kunar and Nuristan during the Eid period, causing civilian casualties.
On Friday, Afghanistan’s Chief of Armed Forces Fasihuddin Fitrat accused the Pakistan military of violating the ceasefire along the Durand Line.
Several people were killed in attacks conducted by Pakistani forces in border areas, according to the statement released by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence. Fitrat stated that Pakistan’s continuous attacks despite the ceasefire “demonstrates a lack of commitment and deception” by Islamabad, Ariana News reported.
He stated that Afghanistan has refrained from taking any retaliatory action to prevent further worsening of the situation and has remained committed to the ceasefire. He warned that “the ceasefire will become meaningless” and the Taliban will give a “decisive response” to Pakistan’s actions if such attacks are repeated, Ariana News reported.
On Wednesday, Afghanistan said it would pause its ‘Rad al-Zulm’ defensive operations for Eid at the request of mediating nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. Pakistan also announced a temporary pause in military operations for Eid, with Information Minister Ataullah Tarar saying that the decision was taken at the request of the regional mediators.
–IANS
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