Afghanistan says it thwarted Pakistan airstrikes on Bagram airbase | Afghanistan
Afghanistan said it had foiled an attempted airstrike by Pakistan on Bagram air base, a former US military base north of Kabul, as border clashes between the two countries extended into a fourth day.
Months of conflict have reignited since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched attacks along the border and Pakistani forces responded from the border and from the air. Pakistan declared that it was in “open war” with Afghanistan.
On Sunday, the police headquarters in Parwan province, where Bagram is located, said in a statement that several Pakistani military jets entered Afghan airspace and “attempted to bomb the Bagram air base” around 5 a.m.
The statement stated that Afghan forces responded with “anti-aircraft and missile defense systems” and managed to prevent the attack. There has been no response to the claim from Pakistan yet.
Diplomatic efforts failed to achieve a ceasefire; Saudi Arabia and Qatar are among those joining efforts to stop the conflict.
The conflict has alarmed the international community, especially since the region is an area where other militant groups, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, still maintain a presence and are trying to resurface.
Islamabad accused Afghanistan of failing to take action against militant groups carrying out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that has stepped up attacks in Pakistan since 2021 when Taliban officials returned to power in Kabul, has claimed responsibility for many attacks.
Pakistan acknowledged Friday that it had bombed key cities including Kabul and Kandahar, home of Afghanistan’s supreme leader.
There was an increased security forces presence in Kabul on Sunday, with more checkpoints than usual in the city centre.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman of the Taliban government, said that the fire opened in Pakistan has killed 36 civilians in many provinces since Thursday, but Islamabad did not comment on this issue. Several residents in Afghanistan’s Khost and Nangarhar provinces told AFP the two sides engaged in sporadic clashes on Sunday afternoon.
Nangarhar province information department reported that there was a clash throughout the night at the Torkham border gate, which is an important crossing point for Afghans returning from Pakistan.
The spokesman of the military unit reported that there were violent clashes throughout the night in Paktia province. Afghan officials said Thursday’s border attack was a response to earlier airstrikes that killed civilians, which Pakistan said targeted militants.
Analysts noted that this week’s escalation was the first time Pakistan focused airstrikes on Afghan government facilities; This is a drastic change from previous operations that he said targeted militants.
Pakistani Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said that 46 points across Afghanistan have been hit by air strikes since the start of the operation. The minister said Pakistan killed 415 Afghan soldiers. Islamabad had previously announced that 12 of its soldiers were killed.
Fitrat said more than 80 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 military posts were captured. The Afghan government had previously announced the death toll of its soldiers as 13.
It is difficult to independently verify each party’s loss claims.
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
