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102-560: On 16 April 2022, Pakistani airstrikes targeted several villages in Spera District, including Afghan-Dubai, Pasa Mela, Mir Sapar, Mandata, and Kanai, and struck refugee camps belonging to internally displaced persons from Waziristan , killing at least 41 people, mainly women and children, and wounding 22 others. Spera was one of the districts most affected by the 2022 Afghanistan earthquake . Approximately 500 homes were destroyed, and 40 people were killed, with 95 others injured in

204-639: A de facto border, including naming the "Durand Line 2310 km (1893)" as an "International Boundary Line" on their home page. However, a map in an article from the Pashtun-dominated Government of Afghanistan not only refuses to recognise the Durand Line as the international border between the two countries, it claims that the Pashtun territories of Pakistan rightly belong to Afghanistan. The Durand Line Agreement makes no mention of

306-797: A lack of international recognition , especially from Pakistan." According to Rustam Shah Mohmand , a former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan, the tensions were unlikely to escalate much further, but the Taliban might still seek to lessen Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan and would continue to oppose the border fence, the "real bone of contention." In Khost Province, the airstrikes targeted several villages in Spera District , including Afghan-Dubai, Pasa Mela, Mir Sapar, Mandata, and Kanai, and struck refugee camps belonging to displaced persons from North Waziristan . Qudratullah, an 18-year-old resident of Mandata village, lost 27 of his relatives to

408-587: A loya jirga was held in Afghanistan after a military aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force bombed a village on the Afghan side of the Durand Line in response to cross-border fire from the Afghan side. In response, the Afghan government declared that it recognised "neither the imaginary Durand nor any similar line" and that all previous Durand Line agreements were void . They also announced that

510-420: A 30-year-old resident of Kanai village, who was rescued, but whose wife and three daughters aged 1, 3 and 10 were killed in the airstrikes, asked "why are they bombing us? We are just refugees. This is a cruelty." Doctors at the local clinics in Spera District said they were unable to give emergency care owing to a shortage of resources, as the country's economy had nearly collapsed due to the freezing of aid and

612-497: A child survived." Jannat recalled spending the following 6 to 8 hours digging survivors from the rubble of their homes. "Five homes were destroyed in just our neighborhood; they were completely flattened, burying entire families within them," he said, adding that the other homes, including his own, were badly damaged. "We didn't have resources to help our neighbors, to extract them from their destroyed homes. People from neighboring villages came to help us." When he went to help families in

714-456: A day before the airstrikes, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Afghan chargé d’affaires in Islamabad to lodge a protest over the cross-border attacks and demand stern actions against the responsible. Mehmood Shah, a retired Pakistani brigadier general who formerly headed security affairs in the tribal areas , stated he believed that the airstrikes were in retaliation to

816-425: A fence on the Durand Line have been met with resistance from numerous Pashtun political parties in Afghanistan. Pashtun politicians in Afghanistan strenuously object to even the existence of the Durand Line border. In 2006 Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that " Iran and Pakistan and others are not fooling anyone." If they don't stop, the consequences will be ... that the region will suffer with us equally. In

918-613: A few hundred metres inside Afghanistan near the border-straddling bazaar of Angoor Ada in South Waziristan , but the Afghan National Army quickly removed them and began shelling Pakistani positions. Leaders in Pakistan said the fencing was a way to prevent Taliban militants from crossing over between the two nations, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai believed that it is Islamabad's plan to permanently separate

1020-540: A financial package of 20,000 Afghanis ($ 230) for the affected families. However, analysts said it was insufficient to compensate for the loss of property and livelihood. A number of youths in Khost collected donations to help the families of the victims. Durand Line The Durand Line ( Pashto : د ډیورنډ کرښه ; Urdu : ڈیورنڈ لائن ; Dari : خط دیورند ), also known as the Afghanistan–Pakistan border ,

1122-501: A number of Afghan civilians being killed. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry claimed that nearly 800 rockets were fired from Pakistan, hitting civilian targets inside Afghanistan. The Afghan statement claimed that attacks by Pakistan resulted in the deaths of 42 Afghan civilians, including 30 men and 12 women and girls, wounded 55 others and destroyed 120 homes. Although Pakistan claimed it was an accident and just routine anti-Taliban operations, some analysts believe that it could have been

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1224-482: A number of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force , and Afghan officials claimed the operation was carried out by Pakistani military helicopters and jets . Pakistani officials initially denied Pakistan carried out the airstrikes, but Pakistani security officials later claimed the airstrikes involved drone strikes from inside Pakistani airspace, and that no aircraft were deployed. Some reports said

1326-555: A result, travel across the boundary was almost entirely halted. Further, the British recruited tens of thousands of local Pashtuns into the Indian Army and stationed them throughout India and southeast Asia. Exposure to India, combined with the ease of travel eastwards into Punjab and the difficulty of travel towards Afghanistan, led many Pashtuns to orient themselves towards the heartlands of British India and away from Kabul. By

1428-728: A show of strength by Islamabad. For example, a senior official at the Council on Foreign Relations explained that because the shelling was of such a large scale, it was more likely a warning from Pakistan than an accident. I'm speculating, but natural possibilities include a signal to Karzai and to (the United States) that we can't push Pakistan too hard. The United States and other NATO states often ignored this sensitive issue, likely because of potential effects on their war strategy in Afghanistan. Their involvement could have strained relations and jeopardized their own national interests in

1530-590: A spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, said "we want to tell the Pakistani army that every war has a principle, and Pakistan has violated every principle of war up to date. We challenge the Pakistani army to fight us in the battlefield instead of bombing oppressed people and refugee camps." In response to a question about the Afghan Taliban, Noor Wali Mehsud ,

1632-538: A summer 2001 report in The Friday Times , even the Taliban leaders challenged the very existence of the Durand Line when former Afghan Interior Minister Abdur Razzaq and a delegation of about 95 Taliban visited Pakistan. The Taliban refused to endorse the Durand Line despite pressure from Islamabad, arguing that there shall be no borders among Muslims. When the Taliban government was removed in late 2001,

1734-595: A time limit, thus suggesting the treaty has no expiry date. In 2004, spokespersons of U.S. State Department 's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office also pointed out that the Durand Line Agreement has no mention of an expiry date. Recurrent claims that (the) Durand Treaty expired in 1993 are unfounded. Cartographic depictions of boundary conflict with each other, but Treaty depictions are clear. Because

1836-623: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan On 16 April 2022, the Pakistani military conducted predawn airstrikes on multiple targets in Afghanistan 's Khost and Kunar provinces . Afghan officials said the attacks killed at least 47 civilians and injured 23 others. Initial reports described the attacks as either rocket strikes or aerial strikes carried out by

1938-701: Is a 2,640-kilometre (1,640 mi) international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia . The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to the border with China . The Durand Line was established in 1893 as the international border between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the British Indian Empire by Mortimer Durand , a British diplomat of the Indian Civil Service , and Abdur Rahman Khan ,

2040-780: Is also the main land connection between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent . During Operation Cyclone , the ISI, with support and funding from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States, recruited mujahideen militant groups on the Pakistani side of the Durand line to cross into Afghanistan's territory for missions to topple the Soviet-backed Afghan government . Afghanistan KHAD

2142-470: Is more stable, is more secure, is more prosperous, and importantly an Afghanistan that respects the basic and fundamental rights of its people, all of its people, including its minorities, its women, its girls." Price added, "for almost 75 years our relationship with Pakistan has been a vital one," and "we look forward to working closely" with the new government of prime minister Shehbaz Sharif "across regional and international issues." China's reaction to

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2244-741: Is now part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, to delineate the frontier. From the British-Indian side, the camp was attended by Mortimer Durand and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum , Political Agent Khyber Agency representing the Viceroy of India and Governor General of India . The Afghan side was represented by Sahibzada Abdul Latif and a former governor of Khost Province in Afghanistan, Sardar Shireendil Khan , representing Amir Abdur Rahman Khan. The original 1893 Durand Line Agreement

2346-613: Is part of TTP here. Residents are civilians who have been running from violence. In fact, most of the victims were women and children." The target of the attacks in Khost Province was the Gul Bahadur faction of TTP, which Pakistan suspected was behind an April 14 ambush in North Waziristan that killed seven Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan's airstrikes inside Afghanistan's territory have sparked a diplomatic row between

2448-505: The Afghan President Hamid Karzai also began resisting the Durand Line, and today the present Government of Afghanistan does not recognize Durand Line as its international border. No Afghan government has recognized the Durand Line as its border since 1947. A line of hatred that raised a wall between the two brothers. The Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO) depicts the line on their maps as

2550-700: The British were defeated and the war ended. The British again invaded Afghanistan in 1878, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War . The British decided to accept a new Amir who was a British opponent – Abdur Rahman Khan and the Treaty of Gandamak was signed in 1880. Afghanistan ceded control of various frontier areas to India. The British failed in their objective to maintain a British resident in Kabul but having attained their other geopolitical objectives,

2652-471: The Emir of Afghanistan , to fix the limit of their respective spheres of influence and improve diplomatic relations and trade. Britain considered Afghanistan to be an independent state at the time, although they controlled its foreign affairs and diplomatic relations . The single-page Agreement, dated 12 November 1893, contains seven short articles, including a commitment not to exercise interference beyond

2754-630: The Hindu Kush , while its eastern end by China is in the Karakoram range. These are regions of extreme high elevation, hence much of the Durand Line is bounded by mountains. The Spīn Ghar ( White Mountains ) range is roughly in the middle of the Line. The western part of the Line meanwhile is lower and sparse, consisting of the Registan Desert . The highest peak, Noshaq , is located along

2856-765: The National Democratic Movement (NDM), called the incident "highly tragic." He added that the displaced persons who were attacked were from North Waziristan, but they had crossed into Khost Province before Operation Zarb-e-Azb which was launched on 15 June 2014 in North Waziristan by the Pakistan Armed Forces. Dawar called on Pakistan's new government of prime minister Shehbaz Sharif to take action against "those who ordered this operation" in Khost and Kunar provinces, and to revisit Pakistan's Afghan policy, particularly that there are "good Taliban and bad Taliban." Muhammad Khurasani,

2958-424: The Pakistani border forces allegedly opened fire and injured six protesters. In Bannu , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, a sit-in started after the airstrikes. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concern over the civilian casualties in the airstrikes, and said it was working to establish the facts and verify losses. Border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan rose after

3060-474: The Sehwan blast . On 7 March, the border was reopened for two days to facilitate the return of people to their respective countries who had earlier crossed the border on valid visas. The decision was taken after repeated requests by Afghanistan's government to avert 'a humanitarian crisis'. According to a Pakistani official, 24,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan, while 700 Pakistanis returned to Pakistan, before

3162-728: The Survey of India collection at the British Library . The complete 20-page text of these detailed joint Indo-Afghan demarcation surveys is available in several sources. In 1896, the long stretch from the Kabul River to China, including the Wakhan Corridor, was declared demarcated by virtue of its continuous, distinct watershed ridgeline, leaving only the section near the Khyber Pass to be finally demarcated in

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3264-534: The Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The Taliban denied harboring anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan, but they were infuriated by Pakistan's erection of a barbed barrier along their 2,670 km (1,660 mi) border, known as the Durand Line , which was demarcated by the British in 1893 and divided the homeland of ethnic Pashtuns . The Taliban did not recognize the border and destroyed parts of

3366-578: The United States eight months ago was a good lesson to aggressors who want to disrespect Afghanistan's territory and freedom." The Ministry of Defense called the attacks tyrannical and warned "no country should provoke Afghanistan." Mullah Yaqoob , the acting Defense Minister, said the airstrikes were an "invasion" by neighboring Pakistan that was tolerated by the Taliban administration "because of national interests," but "next time we might not tolerate it." The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to

3468-551: The indigenous Pashtun people living on the border with Afghanistan were given only the choice of becoming a part either of India or Pakistan. Further, by the time of the Indian independence movement, prominent Pashtun nationalists such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgar movement advocated a united India, and not a united Afghanistan – highlighting the extent to which infrastructure and instability together began to erode Pashtun self-identification with Afghanistan. By

3570-427: The predawn meal consumed ahead of the daily fasts in the holy month of Ramadan . "Just as we were sitting down, we heard sounds of drones followed by sounds of jets, seconds later we heard an explosion. They [Pakistan military] were bombing us. In our area, they targeted two places, and bombarded three more places in the next village. Dozens of people were killed, many of them women and children, in some families only

3672-710: The 10th century. The Pashtun area (known today as the " Pashtunistan " region) fell within the Ghaznavid Empire in the 10th century followed by the Ghurids , Timurids , Mughals , Hotakis , by the Durranis , and thereafter the Sikhs . In 1839, during the First Anglo-Afghan War , British -led Indian forces invaded Afghanistan and initiated a war with the Afghan rulers. Two years later, in 1842,

3774-736: The 1st millennium BC. The Baloch tribes inhabit the southern end of the line, which runs in the Balochistan region that separates the ethnic Baloch people . Arab Muslims conquered the area in the 7th century and introduced Islam to the Pashtuns. It is believed that some of the early Arabs also settled among the Pashtuns in the Sulaiman Mountains . These Pashtuns were historically known as "Afghans" and are believed to be mentioned by that name in Arabic chronicles as early as

3876-473: The 41 people killed and the 22 others who were injured in the province were all civilians, mainly women and children. In Kunar Province, the attacks took place in the Chogam village of Shultan District , killing three girls, two boys, and one woman, and wounding one man. Najibullah Hanif, the provincial director of information and culture, stated "Pakistani forces have been shelling using heavy artillery for

3978-536: The Afghan government to prevent such attacks, to little avail. The statement also reaffirmed "respect for Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity" while adding that "Pakistan will continue to work closely with the Afghan government to strengthen bilateral relations in all fields." Mohsin Dawar , a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from North Waziristan and chairman of

4080-707: The Afghan-Pakistan dispute over the Durand Line by stating: His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom has seen with regret the disagreements between the Governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan about the status of the territories on the North West Frontier. It is His Majesty's Government's view that Pakistan is in international law the inheritor of the rights and duties of the old Government of India and of his Majesty's Government in

4182-484: The British withdrew. In 1893, Mortimer Durand was dispatched to Kabul by the Government of India to sign an agreement with Amir Abdur Rahman Khan for fixing the limits of their respective spheres of influence as well as improving diplomatic relations and trade. On 12 November 1893, the Durand Line Agreement was reached. The two parties later camped at Parachinar , a small town near Khost in Afghanistan, which

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4284-403: The Durand Line divides the Pashtun and Baloch people , it continues to be a source of tension between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In August 2007, Pakistani politician and the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam , Fazal-ur-Rehman , urged Afghanistan to recognise the Durand Line. Press statements from 2005 to 2007 by former Pakistani President Musharraf calling for the building of

4386-565: The Durand Line is "an issue of historical importance for Afghanistan. The Afghan people, not the government, can take a final decision on it." In July 2003, Pakistani and Afghan forces clashed over border posts. The Afghan government claimed that the Pakistani military established bases up to 600 meters inside Afghanistan in the Yaqubi area near bordering Mohmand District . The Yaqubi and Yaqubi Kandao (Pass) area were later found to fall within Afghanistan. In 2007, Pakistan erected fences and posts

4488-578: The Durand Line to the North Western State Railway . Meanwhile, Abdur Rahman Khan conquered the Nuristanis and made them Muslims. Concurrently, Afridi tribesmen began rising up in arms against the British, creating a zone of instability between Peshawar and the Durand Line. Further, frequent skirmishes and wars between the Afghanistan and India starting in the 1870s made travel between Peshawar and Jalalabad almost impossible. As

4590-537: The Durand Line. A joint British-Afghan demarcation survey took place starting from 1894, covering some 800 miles (1,300 km) of the border. Established towards the end of the British–Russian " Great Game " rivalry, the resulting line established Afghanistan as a buffer zone between British and Russian interests in the region. The line, as slightly modified by the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 ,

4692-539: The Durand ethnic division line had been imposed on them under coercion / duress and was a diktat . This had no tangible effect as there has never been a move in the United Nations to enforce such a declaration due to both nations being constantly busy in wars with their other neighbours (See Indo-Pakistani wars and Civil war in Afghanistan ). In 1950 the House of Commons of the United Kingdom held its view on

4794-680: The Indo-Afghan frontier as accepted by the Afghan Government under Article V of the Treaty concluded on August 8, 1919 Pakistan inherited the 1893 agreement and the subsequent 1919 Treaty of Rawalpindi after the partition from the British India in 1947. There has never been a formal agreement or ratification between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan believes, and international convention under uti possidetis juris supports,

4896-557: The Pakistan-Afghanistan border (Durand Line) in Balochistan to check movement of terrorists and smugglers across border into Pakistan from Afghanistan. Plans to expand this trench/ berm/ fence work were announced in March 2017. The plans also included building 338 checkpoints and forts along the border by 2019. On 16 February, Pakistan closed the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman due to security reasons following

4998-485: The Pakistani airstrikes also targeted parts of Paktika Province . The Taliban administration in Kabul did not release casualty figures, but acknowledged civilian deaths and diplomatically protested the incident. The airstrikes appeared to have been carried out as retaliation to an attack on a Pakistani military convoy in North Waziristan, Pakistan on 14 April, which had killed seven Pakistani soldiers. According to

5100-483: The Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan was cautious. In response to a question about the airstrikes, the spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry , Wang Wenbin , said "Afghanistan and Pakistan are close neighbors with traditional friendship with China. We believe that the two countries can properly settle each other's concerns through dialogue and consultations, and jointly maintain regional peace and tranquility." Wang added that China had been trying to actively engage with

5202-551: The Pakistani media and some Afghan media outlets, the attacks targeted militants belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani soldiers had also reportedly clashed with Taliban forces around 9 p.m. on 15 April in Gurbuz District , Khost Province, killing two Taliban fighters. Protests against the attacks took place in several Afghan provinces including one in Nimruz Province , that turned violent when

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5304-533: The Pakistani military had killed 128 armed militants and arrested 270 others near the border area with Afghanistan during the same period. On 14 April, eight Pakistani soldiers were killed in two ambushes in the Datakhel and Isham areas of Pakistan's North Waziristan, which borders Khost Province. Also on 14 April, Afghan border forces fired 35 shells and launched indiscriminate fire on Pakistani checkposts in Chitral District , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan. The onslaught went on for more than 6 hours. On 15 April, i.e.

5406-431: The Pashtun tribes. Special Forces from the United States Army were based at Shkin , Afghanistan, seven kilometres west of Angoor Ada, from 2002. In 2009, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and American CIA began using unmanned aerial vehicles from the Afghan side to hit terrorist targets on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line. The border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan has long been one of

5508-418: The Taliban as well." Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated the attack was a breach of Afghanistan's sovereignty, a violation of international norms, and a crime against humanity. Pakistan's Foreign Office stated it was "looking into" reports concerning the military action. The government and the Pakistan Armed Forces did not publicly comment on the airstrikes. The Pakistani media reported that

5610-410: The Taliban since immediately after the Taliban takeover of Kabul the previous year. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated "UNAMA is deeply concerned by reports of civilian casualties, including women and children, as a result of airstrikes in Khost and Kunar provinces last night. Civilians are never a target. UNAMA is working to establish facts on the ground and verify

5712-490: The UN, lodged an official complaint against Pakistan's airstrikes at the UN Security Council . Afghan diplomatic missions run by former government officials condemned the airstrikes in a joint statement, and asked the UN Security Council to take action against Pakistan. Noorullah Raghi, a former diplomat said "the Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan are obvious acts of aggression and a crime against humanity, in which civilians and innocent people were targeted. It underestimates

5814-597: The US sanctions following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021. One doctor from a local clinic said "we have received many casualties from the recent bombardments, and we are stretched thin without enough personnel or supplies. We are not in the same position or capacity we were last year. People with injuries are discharged after basic treatment because we don't have enough facilities. In critical cases, we refer them to private hospitals, but not everyone can afford to receive treatments there." Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost , stated that

5916-453: The United Kingdom in these territories and that the Durand Line is the international frontier. At the 1956 SEATO ( Southeast Asia Treaty Organization ) Ministerial Council Meeting held at Karachi , capital of Pakistan at the time, it was stated: The members of the Council declared that their governments recognised that the sovereignty of Pakistan extends up to the Durand Line, the international boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and it

6018-465: The United Nations stated that the attacks were an act of "aggression of Pakistan against the territorial integrity of Afghanistan" and that it "breached the international laws, principals of the UN Charter , the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council resolutions ." According to the statement, Pakistan broke UN Security Council Resolution 1453 (2002) on the "Kabul Declaration on Good-Neighbourly Relations." Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan's envoy at

6120-407: The airstrikes, Pakistani border forces were reported to have opened fire on them, injuring six protesters. In Bannu , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, a sit-in was started by the Madakhel Wazir tribe of Pashtuns after the airstrikes. Manzoor Pashteen , who is the chairman of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), and other protesters demanded justice for the victims from Waziristan killed in

6222-477: The airstrikes, and called on the governments of both countries to play their part in ensuring the security of the people. Pashteen demanded that the airstrikes be investigated. In the United Kingdom , a number of Afghans protested against the airstrikes outside the High Commission of Pakistan in London . Protests were also held against Pakistan in Paris , France , and in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. , United States. The Taliban announced

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6324-460: The airstrikes, including his 16-year-old wife, who was crushed beneath the rubble. His 30-year-old brother Zargit, who survived, lost all four of his daughters, all under 11. Qudratullah said, "I’m devastated. I lost my wife, my relatives, our home, our vehicles, our animals, everything." Peer Jannat, a 25-year-old resident of Afghan-Dubai village in Khost Province, told Al Jazeera that he had woken up at 2:30 a.m. on 16 April to prepare for suhur ,

6426-525: The area to hide the killing of its commanders. According to the officials, TTP had set up bases along the Afghan border which were even beyond the control of the Afghan Taliban government. TTP, on the other hand, said the bombs hit migrant camps inhabited by those who had fled from Pakistan's former tribal areas into Afghanistan . The residents in Khost Province who were attacked in the airstrikes insisted that their settlement did not house any TTP fighters. Peer Jannat said "personally, I don't know anyone who

6528-485: The area. This came after the November 2011 NATO bombing in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed. In response to that incident, Pakistan decided to cut off all NATO supply lines as well as boost border security by installing anti-aircraft guns and radars to monitor air activity. Regarding the Durand Line, some rival maps are said to display discrepancies of as much as five kilometres. In June 2016, Pakistan announced that it had completed 1,100 km of trenches along

6630-409: The attacks cannot be independently verified yet, but the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated it was working to verify the extent of losses. The Pakistani government remained silent on whether Pakistan was behind the airstrikes. However, Pakistani security officials said Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suffered heavy losses in the strike. They added that TTP had cordoned off

6732-473: The attacks targeted Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Afghanistan. The Pakistan Embassy in Kabul denied there had been any airstrikes in Afghanistan, but said its ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan and Taliban authorities had discussed a resolution of border issues. On 17 April, the Foreign Office released a strongly-worded statement condemning the use of Afghan soil by terrorists "with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan." According to

6834-399: The border areas. At the same time, the United States is reviewing the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) Act in Washington, D.C. , which is supposed to help the economic status of the Pashtun and Baloch tribes by providing jobs to a large number of the population on both sides of the Durand Line border. Much of the northern and central Durand line is quite mountainous, where crossing

6936-427: The border between two countries, while some of the highest peaks in the world, including K2 , are a short distance to the east of the Line's end on the Pakistani side. The Kunar River , Kabul River , Kurram River and Gomal River all cross the Durand Line. At the very western end of the line is the Godzareh Depression . The border is 2,611 km (1,622 mi) long. Twelve Afghan provinces are located along

7038-430: The border crossing near Spin Boldak , aimed at improving the security situation and blocking the infiltration of insurgents into southern Afghanistan. Throughout June and into July 2011, Pakistan Chitral Scouts and local defence militias suffered deadly cross-border raids. In response the Pakistani military shelled some Afghan villages in Afghanistan's Nuristan , Kunar , Nangarhar , and Khost provinces resulting in

7140-404: The border from both sides to conduct attacks. In June 2011 more than 500 Taliban militants entered Upper Dir area from Afghanistan and killed more than 30 Pakistani security forces. Police said the attackers targeted a checkpost, destroyed two schools and several houses, while killing a number of civilians. The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are both trying to extend the rule of law into

7242-406: The border is often only practical in the numerous passes through the mountains. Border crossing is very common, especially among Pashtuns who cross to meet relatives or to work. The movement of people across the border has largely been unchecked or uncontrolled, although passports and visas are at times checked at official crossings. In June 2011 the United States installed a biometric system at

7344-454: The border. In 2017, amid cross-border tensions, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan will "never recognise" the Durand Line as the border between the two countries. The area through which the Durand Line runs has been inhabited by the indigenous Pashtuns since ancient times , at least since 500 BC. The Greek historian Herodotus mentioned a people called Pactyans living in and around Arachosia as early as

7446-552: The border: Nimroz, Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Khost, Paktia, Logar, Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan and Badakhshan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Balochistan , and the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan share a border with the Durand Line. The two countries are major trade partners, and therefore the various border crossings are economically important for the wider region, particularly the Torkham and Khyber Pass that

7548-476: The chief Taliban spokesman, warned: "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on the Pakistani side not to test the patience of Afghans on such issues and not repeat the same mistake again, otherwise it will have bad consequences." "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," Mujahid said. He added "the defeat of

7650-572: The district. Many houses constructed primarily of mud and wood were razed to the ground. Heavy rain and the earthquake contributed to landslides that destroyed entire hamlets . In August 2022, new " earthquake-resistant houses " began to be constructed in the district for victims of the earthquake. The project involves the establishment of 300 houses here and 2,000 homes in both the Gayan and Barmal districts of neighboring Paktika Province . This Khost Province , Afghanistan location article

7752-739: The emir of the Pakistani Taliban, wrote, "we are facing no resistance or opposition from the Afghan Taliban." Responding to a question about the airstrikes, the United States Department of State Spokesperson, Ned Price , said "we are aware of the reports of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, but we'd refer you to the Pakistani government for comment." Endorsing Pakistan's policy toward the militants who used their bases in Afghanistan for carrying out attacks in Pakistan, Price said "we view Pakistan as an important stakeholder, an important partner, with whom we are engaging and have engaged as we work together to bring about an Afghanistan that

7854-438: The extent of losses." Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, confirmed that a total of 20 children were killed in their homes during the airstrikes in Khost and Kunar provinces, and said "we are shocked and saddened by this needless tragedy, and we send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those affected. Violence against children, in all forms, must stop." He added, "UNICEF teams are on

7956-399: The fence. While Pakistan pursued a policy of supporting the Afghan Taliban for decades, Pakistan was simultaneously cracking down on Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or the Pakistani Taliban, the armed militant group that wanted to overthrow the Pakistani government . TTP was allied to the Afghan Taliban, shared a common ideology with them, and had assisted them in the 2001–2021 war , but

8058-472: The ground supporting those affected, including with mobile teams providing health, nutrition and psycho-social services. Additionally, we have provided tents, hygiene kits for girls’ and women’s sanitary needs, winter kits that include warm clothes, recreational kits with games and activities for children, soap and water purification tablets." Hundreds of civilians took to the streets in Khost to protest against

8160-580: The ground supporting those affected, including with mobile teams providing health, nutrition and psycho-social services." The Taliban administration in Kabul did not provide any figures for the number of people killed or injured, although the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations , run by former government officials, corroborated that more than 40 people were killed, including women and children. The total death toll in

8262-533: The group accused of the 1981 hijacking of a Pakistan International Airlines plane from Karachi to Kabul. After the collapse of the pro-Soviet Afghan government in 1992, Pakistan, despite Article 2 of the Durand Line Agreement which states "The Government of India will at no time exercise interference in the territories lying beyond this line on the side of Afghanistan", attempted to create a puppet state in Afghanistan prior to Taliban control according to US Special Envoy on Afghanistan Peter Tomsen . According to

8364-473: The incident, chanting anti-Pakistan slogans. In Kunar Province, residents expressed their "dissatisfaction about the Taliban's silence on the attacks." In Nangarhar Province , a number of residents gathered in Ghanikhel to protest the airstrikes. In Kandahar , the residents organized a rally and called on the Taliban to give a strong response to Pakistan. In Nimruz Province , as people protested against

8466-466: The most dangerous places in the world, due largely to very little government control. It is legal and common in the region to carry guns, and assault rifles and explosives are common. Many forms of illegal activities take place, such as smuggling of weapons , narcotics , lumber , copper , gemstones , marble , vehicles , and electronic products, as well as ordinary consumer goods. Kidnappings and murders are frequent. Militants frequently cross

8568-753: The outbreak of the Third Anglo-Afghan War when Afghanistan's capital (Kabul) and its eastern city of Jalalabad were bombed by the No. 31 and No. 114 Squadrons of the British Royal Air Force in May 1919. Afghan rulers reaffirmed in the 1919, 1921, and 1930 treaties to accept the Indo-Afghan frontier. The Afghan Government accepts the Indo–Afghan frontier accepted by the late Amir The two high contracting parties mutually accept

8670-560: The past three days on Marawara , Shultan and Nari districts in Kunar Province." The target of the attacks in Kunar Province was a militant, Umar Bajauri, but locals said he was not home at the time and instead his family was hit. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, said the UNICEF confirmed that a total of 20 children were killed during the airstrikes in Khost and Kunar provinces. He said UNICEF teams were "on

8772-535: The past we have suffered alone; this time everybody will suffer with us.... Any effort to divide Afghanistan ethnically or weaken it will create the same thing in the neighboring countries. All the countries in the neighborhood have the same ethnic groups that we have, so they should know that it is a different ball game this time. Aimal Faizi, spokesman for the Afghan President, stated in October 2012 that

8874-477: The position that it should not require an agreement to set the boundary; courts in several countries around the world and the Vienna Convention have universally upheld via uti possidetis juris that binding bilateral agreements are "passed down" to successor states . Thus, a unilateral declaration by one party has no effect; boundary changes must be made bilaterally. At the time of independence,

8976-411: The statement, both countries had been engaged for several months to ensure security along the border. However, attacks from proscribed terrorist groups against Pakistan's border posts had not ceased, and caused casualties on the Pakistani side, with the most recent incident on 14 April resulting in the killing of seven Pakistan Army soldiers. The Foreign Office warned that Pakistan had repeatedly called on

9078-493: The surge in terror attacks in Pakistan. Gul Dad, a research director at Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said "whereas previously Pakistan would share intelligence on militants with the United States forces in Afghanistan, which then targeted them with drone strikes , now Islamabad is dependent on the Taliban to hunt them down." He added "Pakistan seems to have become frustrated and has now resorted to such extreme measures. The Taliban are also frustrated due to

9180-427: The surrounding villages of Mir Sapar and Kanai, he saw similar images. "Aside from human lives, people's homes, cattle and vehicles have also been destroyed," he said, adding that these also included transport vehicles used by locals for trade. "Most people in this area are refugees who fled from North Waziristan due to the Pakistani military operations there." Jannat added, "for many, their livelihoods are lost." Rangin,

9282-399: The time of Indian independence, political opinion was divided into those who supported a homeland for Muslim Indians in the shape of Pakistan , those who supported reunification with Afghanistan, and those who believed that a united India would be a better option. The Durand Line triggered a long-running controversy between the governments of Afghanistan and British India, especially after

9384-502: The time of independence, popular opinion amongst Pashtuns was split amongst the majority who wished to join the newly formed state of Pakistan, and the minority who wished to become a part of the Dominion of India . When the idea of a united India failed, Ghaffar Khan pledged allegiance to Pakistan and started campaigning for the autonomy of Pakistan's Pashtuns. On 26 July 1949, when Afghan–Pakistan relations were rapidly deteriorating,

9486-472: The treaty of 22 November 1921, signed by Mahmud Tarzi , "Chief of the Afghan Government for the conclusion of the treaty" and " Henry R. C. Dobbs , Envoy Extraordinary and Chief of the British Mission to Kabul." A very short adjustment to the demarcation was made at Arundu (Arnawai) in 1933–34. Shortly after demarcation of the Durand Line, the British began connecting the region on their side of

9588-726: The two countries. The air strike grossly violated international law. The acting Afghan Foreign Minister , Amir Khan Muttaqi , said he summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul , Mansoor Ahmad Khan , after the airstrikes and gave him a diplomatic démarche . "All military encroachments including those in Kunar and Khost provinces must be prevented as acts as such will deteriorate bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Deterioration of relations will have dire consequences," Muttaqi said. He added that such military violations should be avoided as they can be exploited by "ill-wishers and groups with vested interests." Zabiullah Mujahid ,

9690-424: The two groups maintained separate operation and command structures. Since 2007, TTP had been responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in Pakistan , including the 2014 Peshawar school massacre , and had targeted civilians and security forces in wave after wave of suicide bombings , improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, targeted killings and other forms of attacks. Despite these atrocities, Pakistan

9792-410: The world. Although the Durand Line is internationally recognized as the western border of Pakistan, it remains largely unrecognized in Afghanistan. Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan , former prime minister and president of Afghanistan, vigorously opposed the border and launched a propaganda war – however during his visit to Pakistan in August 1976 he softened his tone by recognising the Durand line as

9894-462: Was consequently affirmed that the Treaty area referred to in Articles IV and VIII of the Treaty includes the area up to that Line. In 1976, the then president of Afghanistan, Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan recognised Durand Line as international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He made this declaration while he was on an official visit to Islamabad , Pakistan . The border is south of

9996-402: Was inherited by Pakistan in 1947, following its independence. The Durand line cuts through to demarcate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Balochistan , and the contested region of Gilgit-Baltistan of northern and western Pakistan from the northeastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan . From a geopolitical and geostrategic perspective, it has been described as one of the most dangerous borders in

10098-480: Was not renewed when it expired, however, and the TTP emir, Noor Wali Mehsud , asked his fighters to resume their attacks in Pakistan from 10 December 2021. During the few months before the airstrikes, TTP had increased attacks on Pakistani security forces from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. On 14 April 2022, the Pakistani military acknowledged that nearly 100 soldiers had been killed by militants since January, and said

10200-505: Was one of two secret service agencies believed to have been conducting bombings in parts of the North West Frontier (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) during the early 1980s. U.S State Department blamed WAD (a KGB -created Afghan secret intelligence agency) for terrorist bombings in Pakistan's cities in 1987 and 1988. It is also believed that Afghanistan's PDPA government supported the leftist Al-Zulfiqar organization of Pakistan,

10302-413: Was unable to persuade the Afghan Taliban to crack down on TTP when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Instead, the Afghan Taliban mediated talks between Pakistan and TTP that led to the release of dozens of TTP prisoners in Pakistan. In November 2021, the Afghan Taliban helped facilitate a one-month ceasefire between the government of prime minister Imran Khan and TTP. The ceasefire

10404-868: Was written in English , with translated copies in Dari . The resulting agreement or treaty led to the creation of a new province called the North-West Frontier Province , now known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province of Pakistan which includes FATA and the Frontier Regions . It also led to Afghanistan receiving Nuristan and Wakhan. The initial and primary demarcation, a joint Indo-Afghan survey and mapping effort, covered 1,300 kilometres (800 mi) and took place from 1894 to 1896. Detailed topographic maps locating hundreds of boundary demarcation pillars were soon published and are available in

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