New Delhi/Kabul — India on Friday strongly condemned air strikes launched from Pakistan into Afghanistan that killed several civilians, including women and children, and offered condolences to the bereaved, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “had strongly condemned the air strikes” and “offered our condolences on the passing away of precious lives,” adding New Delhi had also “reiterated our strong support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan.”
Jaiswal highlighted ongoing humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan, saying New Delhi has been supplying medicines and other relief items and implementing development projects aimed at improving civilian life. “We have an ongoing humanitarian assistance cooperation. We have been sending them medicines. We have been sending them other support, and we have also been offering development projects which can bring benefit to the lives of people there, and that continues,” he said.
The MEA urged restraint and respect for international humanitarian norms while reiterating India’s commitment to assistance and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Indian aid deliveries to Afghan health facilities and community projects have continued despite regional tensions.
The US State Department reportedly said on Thursday that Washington “supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.”“The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists,” it said.
Pakistan carried out the airstrikes on June 28, in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan. Islamabad claimed the operation targeted hideouts belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, groups it accuses of staging attacks on Pakistani soil. About 25 members of the groups were killed in the strike, Khaama, the newspartner of Khaama reported.
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