Kabul/Islamabad, Dec 25 (Reporter) Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes on camps of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province on Tuesday night, killing at least 46 people, including women and children, while several others were injured. Afghanistan has protested the attack. In addition to the loss of life, the Pakistani airstrikes on parts of Barmal district in Paktika province also caused the destruction of several homes and buildings. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stated that the airstrikes targeted four areas in Barmal district of Paktika. Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said about the incident: "Unfortunately, I must say that last night, four areas in Barmal district of Paktika province were bombed, resulting in the destruction of several homes and the martyrdom of many women and children." Several eyewitnesses in Afghanistan reported that Pakistani fighter jets targeted civilian homes in the district around 8 pm. "It was around 8:00 pm when Pakistani jets came and bombed people who were neither Taliban nor Mujahideen. In one house, a woman and two children, who belonged to a poor family, were killed," said Mirbat Khan, a resident of Barmal district, Tolo News reported. "Last night, there was a bombing in Barmal district, resulting in several people being killed and others injured. The jets targeted homes where women and children were either killed or injured," said Bawul Khan, another resident of Barmal district. Abdullah Haqmal, head of Public Health for Paktika, said about the incident: "So far, 26 injured people, including 10 children, have been brought to the provincial hospital in Sharan city. Some of the injured, who were in critical condition, were transferred to the regional hospital in Paktia province." Earlier, clashes had occurred between Pakistani forces and the Islamic Emirate in Gurbaz and Zazai Maidan districts of Khost province, Zazi Aryub and Dand-e-Patan districts of Paktia province, and at the Torkham crossing in Nangarhar. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s foreign office on Wednesday said it summoned Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul to deliver a formal protest over strikes carried out by Pakistani forces on Tuesday night. The Pakistan government has yet to issue an official statement on the strikes, Dawn reported. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained due to frequent border skirmishes, and with Islamabad repeatedly demanding that Kabul take action against the TTP for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul has denied the allegations. Sources told Dawn that TTP camps in the Murgha and Laman areas of Bernal district were targeted, including one that was used by Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar, Commander Abu Hamza, Commander Akhtar Muhammad and the head of TTP’s media arm, Umar Media. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, while talking to Dawn.com on Wednesday, said that 46 people were killed in the strikes, including “locals and some Pakistani displaced persons from Waziristan tribal regions, who had been living in Afghanistan’s border areas in camps”. He said the Shin Stargi Adda, Sorzaghmi, Almasti and Marghai areas in the Paktika province were bombed. The strikes came the same day that a Pakistani delegation, led by Special Representative Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, met interim Interior Minister Sirajudddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi in Kabul to resume diplomatic dialogue after a year-long hiatus. Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday afternoon and handed over a formal protest note regarding the bombing “near the Durand Line in the Bermal district of Paktika province”. The ministry, in its statement, said the “violation” was condemned and alleged that the move was “an attempt by certain Pakistani factions to create distrust between the two countries” as the two sides engaged in talks. Reuters quoted a senior Pakistan security official as saying that the strikes were on “terrorist hideouts” using jets and drones and that they killed at least 20 TTP terrorists. In a post on X by the Afghan defence ministry on Tuesday night, the Afghan Taliban regime confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakistani forces but claimed that the dead and injured included several children and other civilians. Earlier this month, Pakistan decided to reappoint Ambassador Sadiq as its special representative to Afghanistan. The appointment came amid reports that the Afghan Taliban had begun relocating members of the TTP and their families away from the border in Ghazni, their new abode to ease tensions with Pakistan. On December 10, Afghan chargé d’affaires Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb and Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met in Islamabad, where the two discussed the “deep-rooted ties” between their nations. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had that the recent meetings were “an expression of Pakistan’s interest in dialogue to resolve any issues that arise from time to time and to find constructive approach and solutions to issues, including issues that are of serious concern to Pakistan”...////...