Pakistani airstrikes kill 36 civilians in Afghanistan, says Taliban

Pakistani airstrikes killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban-led Afghan government said on Monday.

The strikes hit the eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar overnight, deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on social media.

Islamabad, on its part, claimed that it targeted only militants, AFP reported.

This marks the latest escalation between the neighbouring countries. Their relationship has remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of not acting against militant groups that allegedly operate in its territory and carry out attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban has denied the claims.

Several rounds of negotiations, mediated mainly by Qatar, after an initial ceasefire have not led to lasting peace.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the military had carried out precision strikes on three targets linked to the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar militant group, which Islamabad blames for an attack on a Rangers facility in Karachi on Saturday, AFP reported. The attack had left three soldiers dead, AP reported.

Tarur said 25 militants were killed in the airstrikes on Sunday and four more in separate ground operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, the Afghan government has disputed Pakistan’s account, saying the strikes had hit civilian homes.

Fitrat said one elderly man and a child were killed when a house in Paktia province...

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