Pakistan and Afghanistan Trade Claims After Deadly Border Airstrikes

Pakistan and Afghanistan Trade Claims After Deadly Border Airstrikes
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Pakistan has confirmed carrying out airstrikes inside eastern Afghanistan, saying the operation killed 26 militants linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, while Taliban authorities in Kabul said the attacks killed 13 civilians, most of them children.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes targeted militant hideouts and infrastructure along the border in response to recent attacks inside Pakistan, including assaults in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said four targets were destroyed, including a training center, an ammunition cache and facilities linked to TTP commanders.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit areas in Kunar, Khost and Paktika provinces, killing 11 children, one woman and an elderly man, and wounding 14 others, all women and children. Kabul condemned the raids as a violation of Afghan sovereignty and summoned Pakistan’s diplomat in protest.

Pakistan rejected Afghan claims of civilian casualties and said the operation was based on credible intelligence.

The latest escalation follows months of tension between the neighbors. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants who launch cross-border attacks, while the Taliban denies the charge and says Pakistan should address its internal security problems.