Afghanistan

Fire in Paktika inflicts heavy financial losses, sources say

A late-night fire in southeastern Paktika Province caused heavy financial damage to local shopkeepers and investors, sources said on Thursday.

The blaze broke out Wednesday night in the Khairkot district, near the provincial capital, engulfing parts of a timber market and a nearby fuel station, the sources told Amu.

The fire is believed to have started in a Mazda truck parked near the market. Approximately 500,000 Pakistani rupees in cash, reportedly stored inside the vehicle, were also destroyed in the flames.

Several shops and sections of the adjacent fuel depot sustained substantial damage, the sources said.

The cause of the fire remains unclear, and Taliban officials in Paktika have yet to issue a statement. Fires in commercial districts are not uncommon in Afghanistan, where limited infrastructure and poor emergency response often exacerbate losses.