India condemns Pakistan’s strikes on Afghanistan as an attempt to ‘externalise internal failures’, backs Kabul’s sovereignty

India on Sunday strongly condemned Pakistan’s reported airstrikes on Afghan territory, saying the attacks resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan.

Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “India strongly condemns Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan.”

He added, “It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures.”


Reiterating New Delhi’s position, the spokesperson said, “India reiterates its support for Afghanistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence."

Pakistan claims militant targets

The condemnation came after Pakistan said it carried out early Sunday strikes along its border with Afghanistan, targeting what it described as hideouts of Pakistani militants responsible for recent attacks inside the country.

According to Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Talal Chaudhry, at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes. He provided no evidence for the claim. Pakistan’s state-run media later reported that the death toll among militants had risen to 80.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. He also claimed that an affiliate of the Islamic State group was targeted.

Tarar said Pakistan “has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region,” but maintained that the safety and security of Pakistani citizens remained a top priority.

Kabul alleges civilian casualties

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said “various civilian areas” in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika were struck, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes, calling the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the attacks “killed and wounded dozens, including women and children.”

Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar, said 18 people were killed and several others wounded.

On the ground, villagers in Nangarhar were seen clearing rubble as funerals were being prepared. Local tribal elder Habib Ullah told The Associated Press that those killed were not militants. “They were poor people who suffered greatly. Those killed were neither Taliban, nor military personnel, nor members of the former government. They lived simple village lives,” he said.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul and handed over a note of protest, warning that Pakistan would be responsible for the consequences of such attacks. It said protecting Afghanistan’s territory is the Islamic Emirate’s “Sharia responsibility.”

Escalating tensions

The strikes followed a surge in militant violence inside Pakistan, much of it blamed on the TTP and Baloch separatist groups. Islamabad has long accused the TTP of operating from Afghan soil, a charge denied by both the group and Kabul.

Hours before Sunday’s strikes, a suicide bomber targeted a security convoy in Bannu in Pakistan’s northwest, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Pakistan’s military said it would not “exercise any restraint” and that operations would continue.

Last week, another suicide bombing in Bajaur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed 11 soldiers and a child. Pakistani authorities said the attacker was an Afghan national.

Tarar said Pakistan had “conclusive evidence” that recent attacks -- including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers -- were carried out by militants acting on the “behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.” He urged Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory and called on the international community to press Kabul to honour commitments under the Doha agreement.