[21] 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.
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.
TTP was allied to the Afghan Taliban, shared a common ideology with them, and had assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups maintained separate operation and command structures.
[14] In November 2021, the Afghan Taliban helped facilitate a one-month ceasefire between the government of prime minister Imran Khan and TTP.
The ceasefire 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.
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.
[28] 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 the surge in terror attacks in Pakistan.
"[23] 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.
"[32] 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, the predawn meal consumed ahead of the daily fasts in the holy month of Ramadan.
"[32] 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 the US sanctions following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021.
"[10] Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost, stated that the 41 people killed and the 22 others who were injured in the province were all civilians, mainly women and children.
[33] 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.
[34][29][35][36] Najibullah Hanif, the provincial director of information and culture, stated "Pakistani forces have been shelling using heavy artillery for the past three days on Marawara, Shultan and Nari districts in Kunar Province.
"[10] 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.
[17] "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.
"[1] Zabiullah Mujahid, 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.
[1] He added "the defeat of the United States eight months ago was a good lesson to aggressors who want to disrespect Afghanistan's territory and freedom.
[47] 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.
"[48] 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.
[51][49] 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.
[11] 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.
[52][50] 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.
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.
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.
"[58][22] 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.
[21] Manzoor Pashteen, who is the chairman of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), and other protesters demanded justice for the victims from Waziristan killed in the airstrikes, and called on the governments of both countries to play their part in ensuring the security of the people.