Pakistan condemns attack on Aden airport in Yemen after new cabinet lands 

A rocket and gunfire attack on Aden airport in Yemen on Wednesday targeted the country’s newly formed government and claiming dozens of lives. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 31 December 2020
Follow

Pakistan condemns attack on Aden airport in Yemen after new cabinet lands 

  • Foreign office says attack, in which 22 killed, was an attempt to undermine efforts by Saudi Arabia to foster peace in Yemen
  • Hours after the attack, a second explosion was heard around Aden’s Maasheq presidential palace

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned an attack at Aden airport in Yemen, in which at least 22 people were killed and dozens were wounded moments after a plane landed carrying a newly formed cabinet for government-held parts of Yemen.
Hours after the attack, Reuters reported, a second explosion was heard around Aden’s Maasheq presidential palace where the cabinet members including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, as well as the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, had been taken to safety.
In the airport attack, loud blasts and gunfire were heard, witnesses said. A local security source told media three mortar shells had landed on the airport’s hall.
“We extend our sincere condolences on the loss of precious lives and wish speedy recovery for the injured,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “We believe this attack was not just condemnable as an act of senseless violence and terrorism, it was also reprehensible as an attempt to undermine the recent efforts by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its positive results, that aimed at fostering enhanced peace and security in Yemen.”
The foreign office urged the international community to ensure respect for the territorial integrity of Yemen and support efforts aimed at promoting peace and security in the country.
“Most of the dead and wounded are civilians,” a local health official told Arab News.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

 


Pakistan army hits Afghan Taliban drone storage facility, ammunition depot in Jalalabad

Updated 02 March 2026
Follow

Pakistan army hits Afghan Taliban drone storage facility, ammunition depot in Jalalabad

  • Around 435 Afghan Taliban fighters killed, over 630 injured in Pakistani military offensive, minister says
  • Several countries, global bodies have urged both sides to exercise restraint since the conflict began last week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army struck a drone storage facility and ammunition depot of Afghan Taliban in Jalalabad, a Pakistani security official said on Monday, following Pakistani strikes on more than 50 locations in Afghanistan amid ongoing hostilities between the neighbors.

Pakistan launched Operation ‘Ghazb lil Haq’ against Afghanistan on the night of Feb. 26 following an attack by Afghanistan on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.

The worst fighting between the two neighbors in years erupted after Pakistani airstrikes targeted what Islamabad called militant hideouts inside Afghanistan on Feb. 21-22, accusing Kabul of harboring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants behind the attacks on its soil. Afghanistan denies the charge.

A Pakistani security official, who requested anonymity, said the army was continuing “strong retaliatory action” against the Afghan Taliban and blew up multiple border posts, forcing them to abandon their positions.

“Pakistan forces are effectively targeting the bases and military installations of the Fitna Al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban,” he said.

“During the effective counter-operation of the Pakistani forces, the ammunition depot and drone storage site of Fitna Al-Khawarij (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban in Jalalabad was destroyed.”

Separately, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said more than 400 Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed and over 630 wounded in the Pakistani military offensive so far.

Pakistan destroyed around 188 check posts and captured 31, according to a post on X by Tarar. Over 180 tanks, armored vehicles and artillery guns were also destroyed in Pakistani air raids at 51 locations across Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Pakistani state media shared a video of what it said were Pakistani soldiers crossing into Afghanistan in the northwest to capture an Afghan post. Pakistan has seized a 32-square-kilometer area of Afghanistan, another Pakistani security official said.

Afghan officials earlier said that dozens of Pakistani soldiers had been killed and several Pakistan posts had been captured by their forces. None of the casualty figures or battlefield claims from either side could be independently verified.

Since the conflict began last week, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

The United Nations, along with China and Russia, has called for calm, while US President Donald Trump said Pakistan has the right to defend itself against cross-border militancy.