Abhishek Sinha
Kabul, October 10: Local sources have confirmed that Pakistan Air Force jets conducted airstrikes in Margha Bazaar, located in the Barmal district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province, late Thursday night.
According to eyewitnesses, five civilian shops were completely destroyed in the attack. While there were no immediate reports of casualties, residents described scenes of panic as explosions ripped through the marketplace, causing heavy financial losses for local shopkeepers.
Videos and accounts shared by locals indicate significant structural damage, with several traders losing their entire stock of goods. The incident has once again heightened tensions between the two neighboring nations, already strained by recent border skirmishes and mutual accusations over cross-border militancy.
Observers and Afghan officials have criticised the strike, calling it yet another example of Pakistan’s flawed intelligence operations that have, in multiple past instances, resulted in civilian harm. Over the years, similar cross-border airstrikes have struck non-military sites, drawing condemnation for lack of precision and disregard for Afghan sovereignty.
This latest development underscores the fragile state of Pakistan–Afghanistan relations and raises new concerns about regional stability, especially as both sides continue to struggle with insurgent groups along the porous frontier.
