MONITIRING (SW) – Afghanistan has dubbed the deadly air raid by Pakistan on Khost and mortar shelling on Kunar as “an invasion on Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.”
Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations has condemned Pakistani airstrikes on Khost and Kunar provinces, calling them “an invasion of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.”
Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations issued a statement saying the Pakistani attacks, which killed more than 40 civilians, including children and women, were a clear violation of international law, the principles of the UN Charter, UN General Assembly resolutions and the UN Security Council Declaration of Good Neighborhood.
Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan’s eastern provinces over the past 20 years have resulted in civilian casualties and the displacement of innocent people, the statement said. “We emphasize the need for a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and extremism,” the statement added. “The abuse and killing of civilians is not justified under any circumstances.”
Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has called on Pakistan to stop such attacks immediately and to respect Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the attacks as a “crime against humanity” and a violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty. He called on Pakistan to change its policies and practices in order to eliminate terrorism in the region and to maintain good and civilized relations with Afghanistan.
Pakistani troops bombed four villages in the Spiri district of Khost province yesterday morning. The Pakistani military also launched attacks on residential areas in the Shaltan district of Kunar province the night before, killing and wounding civilians, including women and children.
Local officials have not yet commented on the exact number of casualties. Sources had previously confirmed that at least 30 civilians had been killed and 15 others wounded in airstrikes on Khost, but sources in a number of media outlets confirmed that more than 40 people had been killed.
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