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At slightest 400 radical were killed and astir 250 injured aft an airstrike carried retired by Pakistan struck a cause rehabilitation infirmary successful the Afghan superior Kabul precocious Monday night.Authorities successful Kabul said the onslaught deed a ample rehabilitation installation astir 9 p.m. section clip and destroyed important portions of the 2,000-bed complex, sparking monolithic fires and leaving rescue workers scrambling done the rubble for survivors.The onslaught was reportedly carried retired nether the codification sanction Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, according to information sources. Afghan officials person accused Pakistan of striking the hospital. Islamabad insists its forces conducted precision airstrikes against militant infrastructure and subject installations linked to groups it says are liable for attacks wrong Pakistan.Here are 10 things to cognize astir the latest escalation betwixt Pakistan and Afghanistan:
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of striking infirmary successful Kabul
Afghanistan’s Taliban medication said the airstrike struck a cause rehabilitation infirmary successful Kabul, sidesplitting hundreds of people, galore of whom were patients undergoing attraction astatine the facility.
Deputy authorities spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said the onslaught caused wide demolition crossed the analyzable and that the fig of casualties continued to emergence arsenic rescue teams searched done the debris. He said that rescue operations are presently nether way.
Videos circulating connected societal media and section tv showed plumes of fume rising from the analyzable arsenic rescue teams carried retired operations.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the attack, describing it arsenic a usurpation of humanitarian principles and accusing Pakistan of deliberately targeting civilian sites.
Also Read | 400 killed, 250 wounded successful Pakistani airstrikes connected Kabul hospital, assertion Taliban He said those killed and injured were mostly patients receiving attraction astatine the infirmary and called the incidental a “crime against humanity”.“We powerfully condemn this transgression and see specified an enactment to beryllium against each accepted principles and a transgression against humanity,” helium wrote successful a station connected X.
Pakistan dismisses allegations of civilian casualties
Pakistan has denied targeting immoderate civilian installation successful Kabul, saying the airstrikes were aimed astatine militant infrastructure utilized by groups carrying retired cross-border attacks against Pakistani forces and civilians, according to Dawn newspaper.Pakistan’s accusation curate Attaullah Tarar said the subject conducted “precision airstrikes” connected method enactment infrastructure and ammunition retention facilities located successful Kabul and eastbound Afghanistan.“All targeting has been done with precision lone astatine those infrastructures which are being utilized by Afghan Taliban authorities to enactment its aggregate panic proxies,” helium wrote successful a station connected X.According to Pakistani officials, the targeted sites were being utilized by militant networks allegedly supported by the Afghan Taliban to program attacks against Pakistan.Meanwhile, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mosharraf Zaidi, dismissed the allegations arsenic baseless and said nary infirmary was targeted successful Kabul.Authorities successful Islamabad besides insisted the strikes were cautiously planned to debar civilian casualties and accused the Taliban medication of spreading misinformation to deflect attraction from its alleged enactment for militant groups operating adjacent the border, according to AFP.
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq down the latest strikes
Security sources successful Pakistan said the attacks were carried retired arsenic portion of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched successful precocious February aft what Islamabad described arsenic unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban fighters from crossed the border.According to Pakistani officials, the cognition has progressive coordinated airstrikes targeting logistical infrastructure, drone assembly workshops and weapons retention facilities linked to militant groups.During Monday night’s strikes, Pakistani forces reportedly targeted aggregate sites successful Kabul arsenic good arsenic successful Nangarhar Province successful eastbound Afghanistan.Security sources said respective subject installations and method enactment facilities utilized by militants were destroyed successful the operation, portion drone assembly workshops and limb stockpiles were besides hit, according to Dawn.
Cross-border clashes participate 3rd week
The latest onslaught came hours aft Afghan officials said some countries exchanged occurrence on their shared border, sidesplitting astatine slightest 4 radical successful Afghanistan.The clashes are portion of a broader struggle that began connected February 26 and has steadily intensified implicit the past 3 weeks.The confrontation began aft Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks successful effect to earlier Pakistani airstrikes that Kabul said had killed civilians wrong Afghanistan. The clashes besides disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar past twelvemonth pursuing earlier warring betwixt the 2 sides.Since then, some countries person exchanged artillery fire, airstrikes and drone attacks on the border, raising fears of a wider confrontation betwixt the neighbouring nations.
Conflicting claims implicit casualties and attacks
Pakistan and Afghanistan person released sharply antithetic casualty figures during the ongoing conflict.Pakistani officials accidental their forces person killed hundreds of Afghan Taliban fighters during caller operations. Afghan authorities, however, quality those numbers and assertion Pakistani forces person suffered dense losses.Pakistan’s enactment has besides accused the Taliban medication of allowing militant groups to run from Afghan territory.Officials successful Islamabad accidental these groups, peculiarly the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, person carried retired repeated attacks wrong Pakistan targeting information forces and civilians.
Pakistan says Taliban crossed a 'red line'
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari accused Afghanistan’s Taliban medication of crossing a 'red line' by deploying drones that injured respective civilians wrong Pakistan past week.Islamabad says these attacks prompted further subject operations targeting militant infrastructure crossed the border.Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities has repeatedly denied the allegations and maintains that it does not let immoderate radical to usage Afghan territory to motorboat attacks against different countries.
Pakistan rejects Taliban claims arsenic 'misreporting of facts'
Pakistan’s accusation ministry besides dismissed claims that a cause rehabilitation infirmary had been targeted.“The assertion of this discredited alleged spokesperson of the Taliban authorities is different misreporting of facts aimed astatine misleading nationalist opinion,” the ministry said successful a station connected X.It added: “On the nighttime of March 16, Pakistan precisely targeted subject installations and violent enactment infrastructure, including method instrumentality retention and ammunition retention of Afghan Taliban and Fitna al Khawarij successful Kabul and Nangarhar that were being utilized against guiltless Pakistani civilians.
Post-strike detonation of stored ammunition being utilized by the maestro panic proxy besides afloat contradicts the fake claim.
" “Pakistan’s targeting is precise and cautiously undertaken to guarantee nary collateral harm is inflicted. This misreporting of facts seeks to disturbance sentiments, covering illegitimate enactment to cross-border terrorism. The connection is rejected arsenic being mendacious and misleading.”
Pakistan denies rejecting China’s mediation offer
Pakistan’s overseas bureau besides dismissed reports that it had declined China's mediation efforts aimed astatine easing tensions with Afghanistan.Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said specified claims were baseless.“Pakistan and China stay trusted partners and adjacent friends, and some support regular and adjacent connection connected each issues of communal interest and shared interest.“Therefore, immoderate unnecessary speculation oregon fabrication of facts successful this respect is unwarranted,” helium said.China urges some sides to instrumentality to negotiationsChina has called connected some countries to debar further escalation and resume dialogue.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said preventing the struggle from widening was the astir urgent priority.“The astir urgent task is to debar the enlargement of the warfare and instrumentality the 2 countries to the negotiating array arsenic soon arsenic possible,” helium said.“China is consenting to proceed to marque efforts to execute reconciliation and easiness relations betwixt Afghanistan and Pakistan,” helium added.
Security concerns emergence crossed the region
The escalating struggle has raised concerns internationally arsenic the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderline portion has historically been a hub for militant activity.The United Nations Security Council precocious called connected Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to intensify efforts to combat coercion and condemned violent enactment crossed the region.The assembly besides extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission successful Afghanistan for 3 months arsenic tensions betwixt the 2 countries proceed to rise.International Human Rights Foundation besides condemned the strike. In a connection issued, the organisation called for an 'independent investigation' into the incident.
Meanwhile, successful a abstracted incident, astatine slightest 2 radical were abducted and aboriginal killed successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, according to Dawn.
