Afghanistan says civilians killed in Pakistan airstrikes; Islamabad says militant hideouts hit
Pakistan carried out overnight airstrikes in two Afghan provinces, with Afghanistan saying the bombings killed nine women and children and wounded 11 civilians, as tensions between the two countries escalated.“Airstrikes by Pakistan’s military regime were carried out on two houses in Garmsir district of Helmand Province,” Mawlawi Sher Mohammad Wahdat, head of information and culture of Helmand Province, told Reuters.“Most of those killed and wounded are women and children,” he added.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ministry of information said the strikes targeted militant hideouts at two locations and that “initial reports suggest” 22 militants were killed.The development comes days after the Taliban’s defence ministry said 28 “fighters” were killed after crossing from Pakistan into eastern Afghanistan, with most of them identified as former Afghan security personnel.Pakistan, however, rejected the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s claims that its forces and intelligence agencies had backed the “fighters” in Nuristan.The deaths were reported amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Gulistan sector along the Durand Line, with the latest escalation also reportedly killing several Taliban members.
