Civilians were hurt in an overnight Pakistani airstrike that struck a camp for returning refugees in the southern province of Kandahar on Saturday, Feb. 28, local residents said.
The strike hit a camp in Takhta Pul district, according to residents, who said the explosions caused significant casualties and damage. They said the victims were civilians, many of them women and children.
Jamil Ahmad, who described himself as one of the injured, said the attack came in two stages.
“When we came to work in the morning, the first strike happened here,” he said. “Then we heard a second explosion. Five people were injured near our vehicle, and several were killed.”
Another resident said the force of the explosions sent people fleeing.
“We were inside the room when we suddenly heard a very loud blast,” he said. “The whole area filled with smoke and dust. We ran toward the mountains. When we got there, the jet came again.”
Some residents said there were no military targets in the area and that all of those affected were civilians who had recently returned from other provinces, including Kabul, Khost and Jalalabad.
“There is no government office here,” said Abid, another resident of Takhta Pul. “Everyone was a civilian. We are suffering greatly.”
Taliban officials claimed that three civilians were killed and seven wounded in the strike.
The reported attack comes amid several days of escalating hostilities between Pakistan and the Taliban. Pakistani forces have carried out airstrikes in Nangarhar, Kunar, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Kabul and Parwan provinces, according to local accounts, while the Taliban have launched retaliatory operations along the border.
