At least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others were injured on Sunday after Pakistan carried out airstrikes and deployed ground troops in several border provinces of Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
UNAMA said that the victims included women and children. Meanwhile, the Taliban government in Afghanistan said the strikes hit populated areas and civilian homes, describing them as a “cowardly act” and an “atrocity.”
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For its part, Pakistan said the operation targeted militant hideouts in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar, near the border line between the two countries.
According to Taliban authorities, the highest number of casualties was recorded in the village of Mandokhail, in Paktia province. Resident Adam Khan, 63, told AFP that those killed included women, children and elderly people, who were asleep when the attack took place.
The Taliban say the civilian death toll is even higher, reporting 36 dead and more than 160 wounded. At the same time, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said that 29 militants were killed during the operation, in response to recent terrorist attacks against civilians in Pakistan. The BBC notes that it has not been able to independently verify the figures released by either side.
This latest escalation came just one day after three members of Pakistan’s paramilitary Sindh Rangers were killed in a suicide attack on their headquarters in Karachi. Three militants were also killed in that incident, while Pakistani authorities said they arrested a fourth person, an Afghan national. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan remain high. Islamabad claims that Kabul is sheltering terrorist groups that organize attacks across the border, an accusation the Taliban reject. On the other hand, Afghan authorities blame Pakistan for unjustified attacks that cause civilian casualties.
Incidents along the border have intensified in recent months. In February, clashes between the two countries caused dozens of casualties, while in June Pakistan carried out another wave of airstrikes, in which, according to Islamabad, 26 militants were killed. The Taliban said that 13 civilians also lost their lives in those attacks, most of them children.
