Pakistan carried out fresh air strikes on Afghanistan, with the Taliban government saying nine civilians, including women and children, were killed and 11 others injured.
The strikes hit three houses in Kunar and Helmand provinces, Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X. He condemned the attacks as “aggression and crime” and said they violated accepted principles. The casualty claims could not be independently verified.
Pakistan's Information Ministry confirmed that it had carried out what it described as “planned and calibrated” strikes against militant hideouts at two locations in Afghanistan. It said the targets were selected on the basis of “credible intelligence” and that initial reports indicated 22 militants had been killed. Pakistan said the operation targeted terrorist camps where weapons and ammunition were stored and that precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties.
The conflicting accounts come amid renewed tensions between the two neighbours following a period of relative calm. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban government of allowing militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations and maintains that militancy inside Pakistan is an internal matter.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply earlier this year following a surge in cross-border clashes and Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan. The two sides reached a China-mediated ceasefire in March, but the truce has remained fragile.
Recent violence has again heightened tensions. Last week, Pakistan carried out air strikes in Afghanistan, including in Kandahar, the Taliban's traditional power base. Afghan authorities said the earlier strikes killed four civilians.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said last week that it had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries from cross-border violence in Afghanistan so far this year. Pakistan denies targeting civilians and says its operations are directed at militants responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
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