THE DEATH toll from Pakistani military airstrikes in the eastern Afghanistan provinces of Khost and Kunar has jumped to at least 47, officials said Sunday (17), as Islamabad urged Kabul to act against militants launching attacks from Afghan soil.
Border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen since the Taliban seized power last year, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from the neighbouring country.
The Taliban deny harbouring Pakistani militants but are also infuriated by a fence Islamabad is erecting along their 2,700-kilometre (1,600-mile) border.
Tensions between the two neighbours deepened after Saturday's (16) pre-dawn air assault which Afghan officials now claim was carried out by Pakistani military helicopters.
The airstrikes hit residential houses in Khost and Kunar along the border, Afghan officials said. Earlier, officials had said Pakistani forces had fired rockets.
"Forty-one civilians, mainly women and children, were killed and 22 others were wounded in airstrikes by Pakistani forces near the Durand line in Khost province," Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost said.
Najibullah, an official with the Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Khost said the death toll in the province was 48.
"Twenty-four people were killed from one family itself," he said.
Jamshid, a tribal leader from Khost, also confirmed that more than 40 people had died.
"I went yesterday with several people to donate blood for treating the wounded in the Khost strike," Jamshid said.
Another government official in Khost on condition of anonymity said he saw "42 graves" of people killed, adding that a few people were missing.
"Faces and bodies of some were charred and beyond recognition," Abdul Wahab, a religious scholar from Khost who helped bury some victims said.
TOLO News, Afghanistan's leading private TV channel, continued to show gruesome footage of scattered blood and debris of damaged houses in the assault in Khost.
On Saturday, officials had said five children and a woman had been killed in similar strikes in Kunar.
'Stern actions'
The Pakistani military has so far not offered any comment on the strikes, but on Sunday the foreign ministry in Islamabad urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to rein in the militants.
"Pakistan requests the sovereign Government of Afghanistan to secure the Pakistan-Afghan border region and take stern actions against the individuals involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan," Pakistan's foreign ministry said.
It said seven Pakistan soldiers were killed in the North Waziristan district on Thursday (14) by "terrorists operating from Afghanistan".
Areas along the border have long been a stronghold for militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates across the porous frontier with Afghanistan.
"Unfortunately, elements of banned terrorist groups in the border region, including TTP, have continued to attack Pakistan's border security posts, resulting in the martyrdom of several Pakistani troops," the foreign ministry said.
The Afghan Taliban and the TTP are separate groups in both countries, but share a common ideology and draw from people who live on either side of the border.
Thousands of people usually cross the border daily, including traders, Afghans seeking medical treatment in Pakistan, and people visiting relatives.
Last month the TTP announced it would launch an offensive against Pakistani security forces from the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The TTP are pressuring the Pakistani authorities to allow militants to return to their hometowns with impunity after foreign fighters were told by the Afghan Taliban to leave Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Taliban government issued a warning to Pakistan after Saturday's assault.
"This is a cruelty and it is paving the way for enmity between Afghanistan and Pakistan," Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said late on Saturday.
"The Pakistani side should know that if a war starts it will not be in the interest of any side."
The airstrikes triggered protests in Khost and some other provinces over the weekend.
Migrants swim to board a smugglers' boat in order to attempt crossing the English channel off the beach of Audresselles, northern France. (Photo: Getty Images)
Labour government promises end to hotel use by 2029 and asylum reforms.
Nigel Farage proposes “mass deportations” and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
A RECORD 28,076 migrants have crossed the Channel to Britain in small boats this year, according to government data released on Monday. The figure marks a 46 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The surge has added pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer over immigration, which has become the public’s top concern in opinion polls.
Protests have been taking place outside hotels where asylum seekers are being housed.
The new record was reached on Sunday, when 212 migrants arrived in four boats, the data showed. The Home Office did not immediately comment.
Over the weekend, demonstrations were held across the country after a court ordered asylum seekers to be removed from a hotel in Epping, north-east of London. The case has become a focal point in the debate over immigration.
The Labour government has promised to end the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers by 2029 and to reform the asylum process. On Sunday, it announced measures to speed up appeals and cut a backlog of more than 100,000 cases.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said the reforms were intended to bring “control and order” to what she described as “a system in complete chaos.”
Official figures last week showed asylum claims had reached record levels, with more migrants placed in hotels than a year earlier.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, which has recently led polls on voting intentions, set out proposals for “mass deportations” of migrants arriving on small boats.
His plan includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, blocking asylum claims, and building detention centres for 24,000 people.
Farage told The Times that he would seek repatriation agreements with countries including Afghanistan and Eritrea and organise daily deportation flights.
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South Wales Police said they were called to South Morgan Place in Riverside at 07:37 BST on Thursday following reports of a seriously injured woman. (Representational image: iStock)
A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with murder after a woman was found dead in Cardiff.
South Wales Police said they were called to South Morgan Place in Riverside at 07:37 BST on Thursday following reports of a seriously injured woman.
The victim, identified as 32-year-old Niwunhellage Dona Nirodha Kalapni Niwunhella, known as Nirodha, died at the scene.
Police said Thisara Weragalage, from Pentwyn, was arrested shortly after on Seawall Road in Splott and later charged with murder. He was known to the victim and remains in custody, BBC reported. He is due to appear at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
In a tribute, Nirodha’s family said she was a "cherished daughter, family member and dear friend to many". They added: "Nirodha will be forever remembered with peace, love and gratitude. She touched many lives with her kindness and warmth and her memory will continue to inspire us. Though her life ended too soon, the love she shared will always remain with us."
Det Ch Insp Matthew Davies offered his "heartfelt condolences" and urged anyone with information to contact police. Officers are seeking details about a grey Ford Fiesta seen near South Morgan Place or Seawall Road between 07:30 and 08:30.
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Rescuers patrol through floodwaters in the Haqu Wala village of Pakistan's Kasur district on August 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA has alerted Pakistan about a possible flood in the Tawi River, according to a media report on Monday, while heavy rains and rising river levels have forced evacuations in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Citing official sources, The News reported that India contacted Pakistan to share information about potential flooding in Jammu’s Tawi River. The Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, the paper said. There has been no official confirmation from either India or Pakistan.
The report added that Pakistani authorities have issued warnings based on the information. It is the first such contact since the India-Pakistan conflict in May, according to the paper. Normally, such alerts are shared through the Indus Water Commissioner.
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which had governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries since it was brokered by the World Bank.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of heavy rainfall across most parts of the country until August 30. The country has already been hit by earlier monsoon spells from June 26 to August 20, which left 788 people dead and 1,018 injured as of Saturday.
Flooding has worsened in Punjab, where around 20,000 people have been evacuated over the past 24 hours, officials said on Sunday.
“People from Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Bahawalnagar and Vehari have been moved to safety after several villages submerged under floodwater,” Farooq Ahmad, spokesperson for Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122, said.
The affected areas are located near the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Jhelum rivers. Ahmad said evacuations of populations in the Sutlej and Ravi riverbeds have been completed.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said emergency operations were continuing across multiple districts, with a fresh monsoon spell forecast until August 27.
The Sutlej River has reached a high flood level at Ganda Singh Wala. “The situation at Ganda Singh Wala is critical and expected to persist for the next 48 hours,” the PDMA warned, adding that water levels in the Indus at Tarbela and Kalabagh are also rising.
“The epicentre of the crisis remains Sutlej, where authorities are focusing evacuation efforts in areas like Jalalpur Pirwala. We have begun relocating residents to prevent any potential damage. Their lives and property are our primary concern,” the authority said.
The government has urged citizens to cooperate with rescue agencies and avoid recreational activities near rivers and canals.
(With inputs from agencies)
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In her social media post, Haley said, 'India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.'
INDIA should take president Donald Trump’s concerns over its purchase of Russian crude oil seriously and work with the White House to resolve the matter, US Republican leader Nikki Haley has said.
The Trump administration has been sharply critical of India’s imports of discounted Russian oil. Washington, however, has not voiced the same criticism against China, which is the largest buyer of Russian crude.
India has defended its imports, saying its energy procurement is guided by national interest and market conditions.
Haley, the Indian-origin Republican leader and former South Carolina governor, posted on X on Saturday a portion of an opinion piece she had written in Newsweek four days earlier. Her post came after she faced criticism within her party over the article.
In the piece, Haley wrote that India should be treated as a “prized free and democratic partner” and not like an adversary such as China. “Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster,” she said.
In her social media post, Haley said, “India must take Trump’s point over Russian oil seriously, and work with the White House to find a solution. The sooner the better.”
She added, “Decades of friendship and goodwill between the world’s two largest democracies provide a solid basis to move past the current turbulence. Navigating issues like trade disagreements and Russian oil imports demands hard dialogue. But, we should not lose sight of what matters most: our shared goals. To face China, the United States must have a friend in India.”
Several Trump administration officials have criticised India for its energy ties with Russia. White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro on Wednesday accused India of running a “profiteering scheme” by using discounted Russian crude and then selling refined petroleum products at higher prices in Europe and elsewhere.
Washington has argued that India’s purchases help fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine. India has rejected the charge.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar, responding to a question on Saturday, said, “It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business. That’s really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it.”
Relations between New Delhi and Washington have been strained after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, including 25 per cent additional duties linked to India’s Russian oil imports.
India turned to discounted Russian crude after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and reduced purchases following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Demonstrators gather during an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on August 23, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne. (Photo: Getty Images)
ANTI-MIGRANT protests were held across UK on Sunday outside hotels housing asylum seekers. This followed clashes a day earlier when police intervened to separate demonstrators and counter-protesters in several cities during rallies over immigration policies.
Immigration has emerged as the top concern in public opinion polls, putting pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government to act on its promise to end the use of hotels, which costs billions of pounds annually.
Protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers have become frequent in recent weeks. Some have been linked to safety concerns after a migrant accommodated in a hotel east of London was charged with sexual assault.
Demonstrations on Sunday were reported in different parts of the country, including Epping in east London, Bristol, and Birmingham.
A court ruling last Tuesday ordered the removal of asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, which has been at the centre of anti-immigration protests. The government plans to appeal. Protesters returned there on Sunday, carrying British flags and placards with slogans such as "Epping says no" and "Stop the boats".
On Saturday, anti-immigration rallies were held in towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales.
Official data released on Thursday showed asylum claims were at record levels, with more migrants placed in hotels compared with the previous year.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose party has recently led in voting intention polls, outlined plans for mass deportations of migrants arriving in small boats from mainland Europe if his party came to power.
He told The Times that his proposals included withdrawing Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights, striking repatriation agreements with countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea, and setting up holding sites for 24,000 migrants.
On Sunday, the government announced reforms to the asylum appeals process aimed at speeding up decisions, cutting the backlog of cases and reducing reliance on hotels for accommodation.
The plans include creating an independent body of adjudicators to handle asylum appeals and address a backlog of 106,000 cases, of which 51,000 are appeals with average waiting times of more than a year.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said the measures were designed to "restore control and order" to a system she said was "in complete chaos" when Labour took office last year.
"We cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays," Cooper said.