Pakistan is accused by Afghanistan of attacking residences in Kabul and Kandahar by air.

As fighting between the two neighbors entered its third week, overshadowed by the United States-Israel war on Iran igniting the Middle East, Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan of targeting civilian homes in overnight airstrikes that killed two in the east and four in the capital. 

The Taliban claimed that women and children were among those slain in the strikes.Pakistan’s aircraft also hit gasoline dumps owned by the private airline Kam Air close to Kandahar airport, said to government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on X Friday. 

According to Pakistani security sources, they damaged an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport and conducted “successful airstrikes” against “four terrorist hideouts” in Kabul and border areas.

Abdul Wahid, a 29-year-old daily labourer, told the AFP news agency that he and four family members were wounded when his house was hit at about 12:10am local time (19:10 GMT on Thursday).

“Suddenly, a noise came from another house. I don’t know what happened afterwards. All these bricks fell on me. Women and children were under the rubble as well,” he said. “I was there for 10 minutes as if it was my last breath. Then my neighbours came and removed the bricks … and took us to the clinic.”

The world community has called for moderation, but neither side has responded. The Taliban administration reported on Thursday that Pakistani artillery and mortar bombardment in eastern Afghanistan killed four members of the same family, including two youngsters.According to authorities in Kabul, the deaths reported on Thursday elevated the total number of those killed in cross-border clashes in Afghanistan since Tuesday to seven. Given the most recent attacks on Friday, that might increase. 

Just two days before the US and Israel attacked Iran, sparking a vast regional conflict, fighting between the two nations escalated on February 26 as Afghanistan began an offensive along their shared border in response for earlier Pakistani airstrikes on the Pakistan Taliban.

Pakistan insists that it does not target civilians, and it is challenging to independently confirm both sides’ claims of casualties. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing sanctuary to fighters from the ISIS (ISIL) affiliate in Khorasan province and the Pakistan Taliban, which has claimed responsibility for several deadly strikes within Pakistan. The accusation is refuted by Afghan authorities.

According to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, between February 26 and March 5, Pakistani military operations killed 56 civilians, including 24 children. The Taliban claimed to have killed over 150 soldiers in the most recent conflict, however Pakistani officials have confirmed that about 12 soldiers were killed and 27 wounded. The UN estimates that 115,000 people have been compelled to flee their homes.