The death toll from Pakistani military air raids in the eastern Afghanistan on Saturday has risen to at least 47, officials said.
“Forty-one civilians, mainly women and children, were killed and 22 others were wounded in air strikes by Pakistani forces near the Durand Line in Khost province,” Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost, told AFP on Sunday.
An Afghan official said on Saturday that six people were killed in Kunar province.
Afghanistan’s largest news channel, TOLO News, showed images of children’s bodies it said were killed in the air attack.
The same channel showed protests by hundreds of residents in Khost condemning Pakistan and shouting anti-Pakistan slogans.
On Saturday the Islamic Emirate warned Pakistan over the rocket attacks.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan condemns in the strongest possible terms the bombardment and attack that has taken place from the Pakistan side on the soil of Afghanistan,” government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in an audio message.
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“This is a cruelty and it is paving the way for enmity between Afghanistan and Pakistan … We are using all options to prevent repetitions (of such attacks) and calling for our sovereignty to be respected,” he said.
“The Pakistani side should know that if a war starts it will not be in the interest of any side. It will cause instability in the region.”
The Pakistani military has not commented on the attacks, but on Sunday the foreign ministry in Islamabad urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to take “stern actions” against armed fighters launching attacks against Pakistan from Afghan soil.
“Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan,” the statement said.
The Islamic Emirate denies harbouring Pakistani armed fighters.
