Pakistan has carried out a bombing of a fuel depot belonging to private airline Kam Air near Afghanistan’s Kandahar airport, the Taliban said on Friday, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries escalated once again despite diplomatic efforts to ease the situation.
The latest development comes amid the most serious clashes between the South Asian neighbours in years.
Fighting initially broke out last month after Pakistan launched air strikes inside Afghanistan, which Islamabad said were aimed at militant hideouts.
Kabul, however, condemned the strikes as a breach of its sovereignty and responded with retaliatory attacks.
“The company (Kam Air) supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as to United Nations aircraft,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Mujahid also alleged that Pakistani forces conducted bombings in other parts of Afghanistan, including the capital, Kabul.
According to him, the attacks resulted in casualties among women and children after residential homes were reportedly hit in some locations. He warned that the aggression would “not go unanswered.”
Prior to the latest incident, neither side had reported fresh Pakistani air strikes in recent days, and clashes along the 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) border between the two countries had appeared to subside.
Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
Militancy has remained a major source of tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, once allies but now increasingly at odds. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of harbouring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
The Taliban government has consistently rejected the accusation, insisting that militancy within Pakistan is an internal issue for Islamabad to address.
Reuters reported on Thursday that mediation efforts led by China had contributed to a reduction in hostilities, with Beijing urging both countries to de-escalate the conflict.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, also confirmed that Islamabad and Beijing were involved in a “dialogue process” concerning Afghanistan.
