Afghanistan's Taliban say Pakistani air strikes kill six, wound 12

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, March 13 (Reuters) - Pakistan bombed the fuel depot of private airline Kam Air near Afghanistan's airport of Kandahar, the ruling Taliban said on Friday, stepping up the neighbours' worst conflict in years, despite China's efforts to mediate.

The overnight strikes also hit residential areas in Kabul and the eastern province of Nangarhar, killing six people, including children, and wounding more than a dozen, the Taliban said.

"When we woke up, dust was everywhere, the windows were broken, and we could hear nothing," said Murselin, 35, who lives in district 21 on the outskirts of the capital, amid bricks littering sandy streets and homes with blown-out walls.

"A few minutes later, I heard the voices of my children, they were extremely scared and screaming," Murselin, who lives with his wife and five children, told Reuters.

His sister and two of her children were also wounded in the attack, he added.

Government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid vowed that the aggression would "not go unanswered".

The strikes on the depot, which Mujahid said "supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as to United Nations aircraft", threaten to spark further hostilities in a region also affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

No Pakistani airstrikes had been reported in the past week after Beijing boosted mediation efforts, including messages from President Xi Jinping to halt the fighting.

Ground clashes along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border had also tapered off, despite some intermittent fighting.

STRIKES TARGETED MILITANT HIDEOUTS

The fighting erupted last month with Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds. Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of sovereignty, however, as it launched retaliatory attacks.

Pakistani security sources said the latest strikes targeted four militant hideouts in Kabul, Kandahar and southeastern Paktia province, with one targeting an oil storage facility at the Kandahar airfield.

Afghanistan's defence ministry said it responded by launching drone strikes on a Pakistani military base in the northern city of Kohat, causing heavy damage.

Pakistan's military and information ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Militancy has been a bone of contention between the neighbouring allies-turned-foes with Islamabad saying Kabul provides safe haven to militants launching attacks on Pakistan.

The Taliban deny the allegation, however, saying tackling militancy is Pakistan's internal problem.

UNABLE TO SCREAM

Kabul residents said they heard explosions around midnight before bricks began falling in their homes and dust obscured their vision.

"I ran toward the hallway and started calling out to see who was alive," said Homayoun, 45, woken him from sleep by a blast, followed by the screams of his children.

"I tried to shout, but my voice wouldn’t come out because dust and smoke had filled my throat."

When he did manage to call out to his children, he got no answer from one, and was relieved to finally get a reply.

"My heart was relieved because at least my family members were alive."

Haji Mohammad Aman, another resident, said he could not understand why the neighbourhood had been targeted.

"This entire area is residential," he added. "Many very poor people live in this area. There is not even a single government or military facility."

Last week, the United Nations said 56 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan and 128 wounded since fighting began, displacing 115,000 from their homes. The Taliban government says more than 110 civilians have been killed.

Pakistan has rejected both tolls, saying it targets only militants and support infrastructure.

Reuters reported on Thursday that mediation efforts by China had helped ease the fighting.

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi also said Islamabad and Beijing were engaged in a "dialogue process" on Afghanistan.