The killing of six members of an Afghan family in a Pakistani airstrike in Kunar province tells a bitter story of human pain and suffering. In the Pashad cemetery, located among the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, six fresh graves lie side by side, indicating the profound loss of a family.
Mohammad Yousuf and His Children
The largest grave belongs to Mohammad Yousuf, a 65-year-old shepherd who was killed in the Pakistani airstrike on the 9th of Mehr. His four children and a nephew are also buried in five other graves. Abdul Roouf Shahid, Mohammad Yousuf's nephew, stated that he was solely engaged in shepherding and had no connections with armed groups.
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Mohammad Yousuf had gone to his summer house in the Chogan Valley, near the Pakistani border, to graze his livestock and was supposed to return home before the weather turned cold. After the attack, this family's home was reduced to ruins, and the carcasses of sheep killed in the attack still lie on the ground.
Unfortunate Consequences of Airstrikes
The attack occurred around 3:30 AM, and neighbors rushed to help this family. The Taliban police spokesperson in Kunar, Fareedullah Salaarzi, announced that Mohammad Yousuf had about 80 heads of livestock, most of which were killed in the bombing. Three daughters and one son of Mohammad Yousuf were among the dead, the youngest being a three-month-old girl.
The Pakistani government has accepted responsibility for this attack, stating that its target was armed groups on Afghan soil. However, reports from the United Nations indicate that a significant number of civilians have also lost their lives in these attacks. UNAMA reported that as of the 9th of Saratan 1405, at least 499 people in Afghanistan had been killed due to clashes and border attacks, and 1,216 others were injured.
Kate Clark, a director at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, believes that Pakistan aims to achieve two objectives with these attacks: killing fighters of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and forcing the Taliban to cut support for this group. However, she believes that Pakistan has not yet achieved either of these two goals.
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