Kabul, Oct 1: At least nine civilians, including women and children, were killed, and 11 others were injured after Pakistani military airstrikes hit civilian homes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday.

Condemning the “act of aggression”, Mujahid said the attack was carried out on Wednesday night in the Chugam area of Shultan district in Kunar, and the Safar area of Garmser district in Helmand, killing and injuring civilians, while destroying three residences.

“Last night, Pakistani aircraft bombed civilian homes in Chugam, Shultan District of Kunar, and Safar, Garmser District of Helmand. Nine Afghan civilians, including women and children, were killed, 11 were injured, and three homes were destroyed. We condemn this act as an aggression and crime in violation of all accepted principles,” Mujahid posted on X.

The latest attack comes amid an escalating wave of Pakistani airstrikes targeting several provinces across Afghanistan in recent days.

On September 24, Pakistani strikes in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost killed four civilians, while strikes carried out three days earlier in Kunar and Paktika left three people dead.

Last week, Taliban spokesperson Mujahid accused Pakistan of launching attacks against Afghanistan to divert attention from its internal problems and evade its obligations under the Mecca Pact, local media reported.

Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid alleged that Islamabad was using attacks on Afghanistan to distract the public from mounting political and economic problems in Pakistan, including protests at home.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed the defence agreement in Mecca on August 7, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence against acts of aggression. Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the signatories would be regarded as an attack against all three.

“Pakistan’s recent attacks on Afghanistan were carried out with the aim of escaping the Meeca agreement with Saudi Arabia, while portraying the situation as though Pakistan is engaged in a war in Afghanistan,” Mujahid said.

He further said, “Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighbouring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” Afghan media outlet Ariana News reported.

Mujahid further warned that Afghanistan would give an “appropriate response” to what he described as the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying”.

Jerusalem, Sep 30: Israeli security agencies were investigating an incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the aircraft transmitted an emergency signal and descended sharply before diverting to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news, citing an Israeli official, reported that Israeli authorities had not ruled out a possible “terrorist incident” and were examining whether one of the two pilots may have tried to crash the aircraft. It said one of the pilots was injured.

In a video circulated on social media, an Israeli passenger with blood on his face said, “We are under attack on the plane. We have overpowered the terrorists. We are about to land.”

Earlier, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking. An Israeli official said that the emergency signals were transmitted after the pilots became involved in a physical altercation.

A flydubai spokesperson confirmed that flight FZ 1073 operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport “experienced an incident” while en route. The aircraft later landed in Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia and all passengers are “safe and accounted for,” according to the spokesperson, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Israel Airports Authority said that they have opened a dedicated waiting and information area for the families of passengers on the Flydubai flight, in accordance with the directive of Minister of Transport, Miri Regev.

“The area is located in Terminal 1, in the domestic arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport. Family members wishing to come to Ben Gurion Airport are invited to proceed to the designated area in Terminal 1, where they will be able to wait and receive information and updates as developments unfold,” read the statement.

“Israel Airports Authority representatives will be present at the site and will assist family members as needed. We ask members of the public who are not relatives of passengers on the flight to refrain from coming to the area, in order to allow for the orderly and appropriate assistance of the families,” it added.

Washington/Baghdad, Sep 30: The United States and its allies have officially ended ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’ against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, will “lead the continuing effort to secure Iraq and keep IS remnants suppressed,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

The primary responsibility for addressing Iraq’s remaining security challenges now rests with the Iraqi government, the statement said, adding that the United States will continue to provide “targeted training and intelligence support” to its Iraqi partners.

On the same day, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi also announced the conclusion of the international coalition’s mission to combat the IS in Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported. In 2014, the United States and its allies launched their campaign and deployed forces to fight the IS militants in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

In 2024, Washington and Baghdad agreed on a gradual pullout of US troops from Iraq, seven years after the Iraqi government declared the country’s full liberation from the IS militants at the end of 2017.

Last week, the Iraqi government said that it is in direct dialogue with the United States to secure sanctions exemptions for certain Iraqi airports to resume flights with Iran on humanitarian grounds.

The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Saturday that the requested waivers aim to allow flights for medical treatment, education, religious visits, and civilian interests following recent US Department of the Treasury measures against Iranian airlines operating in the region.

The statement stressed that Iraq is actively working to de-escalate regional tensions, warned that prolonged crisis further complicate the situation, and called on all parties to resolve conflicts through dialogue.

The Iraqi government on Thursday officially signed an agreement to take over the US Embassy’s diplomatic support centre at Baghdad International Airport, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.

The agreement was signed at the ministry headquarters by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom and charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Iraq Steven Fagin.

The handover was part of the Iraqi government’s efforts to finalise procedures regarding the conclusion of the US-led international coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq, in accordance with the timeline set for September 30 this year, it said.

In August, al-Zaidi said that September 30 remained the firm deadline for ending the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq and completing its troop withdrawal.