KABUL, Afghanistan — The country’s political figures and former officials condemned the Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika province as “blatant aggression” and “barbaric,” warning that it will further destabilize the region.
Former President Hamid Karzai described the strikes as a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.”
In a post on X, Karzai blamed strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Islamabad’s “flawed policies of fostering extremism in the region and perpetually undermining Afghanistan.”
He added that resolving these tensions required “an urgent and serious reevaluation” of Pakistan’s approach.
Mohammad Haneef Atmar, the former foreign minister of Afghanistan, called the airstrikes “barbaric” and condemned them unequivocally.
“Regardless of the justification, this act is deplorable,” Atmar wrote on X. He also criticized the Taliban for their inability to defend Afghanistan’s airspace, stating, “It is deeply regrettable that the Taliban regime has no means to prevent such attacks—neither an air force nor air defense systems.”
Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of the National Directorate of Security, said the Taliban have been incapable of safeguarding Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“The Taliban not only lack the ability to protect the country’s territorial integrity but are themselves a threat to Afghanistan’s national security,” Nabil said.
Masoom Stanekzai, another former NDS chief, described the airstrikes as “reckless” and in violation of international law.
He warned that such attacks would exacerbate insecurity and deepen the crisis in the region. In a veiled critique of Pakistan, Stanekzai urged its leadership to reevaluate its policies.
“The roots of terrorism lie in your own failed strategies,” he wrote on X. “Until there is a fundamental change, the problem will only grow.”
Shah Mahmood Miakhel, the acting defense minister in the previous government, accused Pakistan of duplicity in its dealings with Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has always employed a double game to deceive Afghans and the international community,” Miakhel wrote. He criticized Pakistan’s actions, noting that while its envoy held meetings in Kabul with Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s acting deputy prime minister, Pakistani forces were conducting airstrikes in Bermel.
Sources have reported that the airstrikes that targeted a migrants camp left at least five people dead.
The Taliban-run Ministry of Defense in a statement said the airstrikes have targeted a camp that hosted Waziristani migrants.
The ministry said several people, including children, were killed and injured in the attacks, which it described as a “barbaric act” and a blatant violation of international principles.
“Pakistan must understand that such arbitrary and aggressive actions will solve nothing,” the Taliban statement read. The group also vowed to respond, asserting, “Defending Afghanistan’s soil and sovereignty is our legitimate right.”
The airstrikes are the latest in a series of incidents that have heightened tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Both countries frequently accuse each other of harboring militants, with violence spilling across the porous frontier.
Local sources in Barmal reported significant destruction, with multiple homes reduced to rubble. The attacks have added to the mounting concerns over civilian safety and the deteriorating relationship between the two neighboring nations.
