Kabul, April 3 (IANS) Over 9,000 families have been forced to leave their homes due to the rocket attacks conducted by Pakistani forces on areas near the Durand Line in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, local media reported.

Officials from Kunar’s Directorate of Information and Culture said that the survey process of impacted families is being conducted, with approximately 3,500 families registered so far, Afghanistan-based news outlet Atlas Press reported.

Kunar’s Information and Culture Department head Najeebullah Hanif said that clashes continue and several families have been forced to abandon their areas due to security concerns. He mentioned that survey teams continue to make efforts to identify displaced people in the impacted regions.

Residents of the border areas said that villages and streets are nearly empty and only a few people are residing there to protect their properties and belongings. They further said that children were unable to attend schools and many people avoid visiting mosques for fear of shelling.

One resident reported that ongoing situation has caused serious psychological effects on children and adults, disrupting daily life of residents. The resident further mentioned that mental peace of families has been destroyed due to the persistent fear of shelling, Atlas Press reported.

Locals have been raising concerns as tensions escalated tremendously between Islamabad and Kabul over the past few months due to the Pakistani airstrikes, which have resulted in several deaths in the war-torn Afghanistan.

On Thursday, residents of the Tani district of Afghanistan’s Khost accused Pakistani soldiers of targetting civilian houses as fighting continued on the country’s border with Pakistan.

According to sources, many local residents have started leaving their homes to escape the violence while casualties were also reported from the region, Afghanistan’s leading news agency Khaama Press reported. Clashes were also reported in Gurbuz district of Khost.

–IANS

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