Airstrikes in Kunar province, Afghanistan, have resulted in the deaths of seven people and injuries to 75 others, including students and a professor from Kunar University, according to multiple sources. The Afghan government has accused Pakistan of carrying out the attacks, while Islamabad has denied these accusations.
Reports indicate that 30 of the injured are students from Kunar University, which sustained significant damage due to the strikes. One professor at the university reported hearing terrifying explosions on campus, causing panic among the students.
Details of the Incident
The attacks on Kunar come weeks after a Pakistani airstrike on a rehabilitation center for addicts in the capital, Kabul, which resulted in the deaths of 269 people, according to United Nations reports. Pakistan utilized fighter jets and drones in the attacks, while the Taliban claimed that mortars and rockets were also used.
Matullah Shahab, an independent journalist and human rights activist, was located just one kilometer from the attack site and confirmed that he heard bombing sounds at 2:00 PM. He also witnessed civilians fleeing the city center during the assault and stated that he knows many of the injured who were taken to the hospital.
Background & Context
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have been increasingly strained in recent months, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban, which conducts attacks against government forces. Meanwhile, there have been Chinese mediation efforts leading to talks between the two sides in Urumqi in early April, resulting in a fragile ceasefire.
During the ceasefire period, the Taliban leadership chose not to publicly comment on Pakistan or previous airstrikes, but this silence has now ended, with a Taliban spokesperson describing the attacks as