Kabul alleges missile attack by Pakistan in northeastern Afghanistan killed 4, injured 70

At least four people were killed, and 70 others injured in a missile attack allegedly carried out by Pakistan in northeastern Afghanistan, Afghan government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a statement on Monday.

Pakistan “once again conducted artillery shelling using mortars and rockets against multiple areas of Asadabad, the provincial capital of Kunar, as well as parts of Manogai district” at 2.00 pm (0930GMT), he said.

Fitrat said residences as well as Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University were hit, a claim denied by Islamabad.

“As a result, 70 civilians, among them women and children, were injured, including 30 students, while four individuals were martyred,” he added.

The Afghan government spokesman expressed Kabul’s “unequivocal condemnation” of these acts, calling them “grave and inexcusable war crimes, a blatant act of brutality, and a provocative action.”

However, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting denied the attack on the university.

It called Kabul’s claims a “blatant lie and an attempt to gain sympathy to cover up support by Afghan Taliban to Fitna Al Khwarij.”

Islamabad refers anti-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban militants as Fitna Al Khwarij.

“Pakistan’s targeting is precise and intelligence based. No strike has been carried out on Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University. The claims are frivolous and fake,” said the ministry.

The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw some of the worst border clashes in March, which left hundreds of civilians, and militants dead on two sides of the border.

The clashes had stopped after Kabul and Islamabad reached a ceasefire on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, one of the main Muslim festivals, on March 18, following requests from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Later, officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan held week-long talks, mediated by Beijing, in the northwestern Urumqi city of China.

According to Beijing, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to “discuss a comprehensive plan to resolve issues” affecting ties.