Afghanistan Mourns: Airstrikes Kill Mostly Women and Children

In a troubling turn of events, Pakistan's airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan have taken the lives of 46 people, with most of the casualties being women and children. This grim news was reported by a Taliban government official on Wednesday. The strikes targeted four locations in the district of Barmal, within the province of Paktika. The victims were identified as refugees, with six others also injured. The strikes follow a day after Pakistani security officials revealed their aim was to dismantle a training facility and eliminate insurgents in Paktika. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed that 50 people, including 27 women and children, died in the strikes. They insisted these were unarmed refugees fleeing Pakistan's offensive in the northwest. Residents in the area provided further details over the phone, stating that at least 13 people were killed, with the death toll potentially higher. The wounded were rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Pakistan has chosen not to comment on the strikes, but their military reported killing 13 insurgents in an operation in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, praised the country's security forces for thwarting terrorist plans but made no mention of the airstrikes. The Taliban Defense Ministry condemned the attacks and vowed retaliation. Despite the tension, the border appeared normal the next day. However, security experts warn that the Pakistani Taliban could retaliate with attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan has faced numerous militant attacks over the past two decades, with a recent surge. Just this weekend, at least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a TTP attack on a checkpoint in the northwest. Pakistani officials accuse the Taliban of not doing enough to prevent cross-border militant activities, a claim the Afghan Taliban deny. North and South Waziristan, former strongholds of the Pakistani Taliban, have seen many flee to Afghanistan. Tensions peaked in March when Pakistan reported strikes in border regions inside Afghanistan.