SRINAGAR: Pakistan carried out overnight airstrikes in two Afghan provinces, with an Afghan official saying nine women and children were killed and 11 civilians wounded, as tensions between the two countries intensified.
Mawlawi Sher Mohammad Wahdat, head of information and culture of Helmand Province, told Reuters that Pakistani airstrikes hit two houses in Garmsir district.
“Most of those killed and wounded are women and children,” Wahdat said.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information provided a different account, saying the strikes targeted militant hideouts at two locations. The ministry said “initial reports suggest” that 22 militants were killed.
The reported strikes came days after the Taliban’s defence ministry said 28 “fighters” had been killed after crossing from Pakistan into eastern Afghanistan. It said most of those killed were former Afghan security personnel.
Pakistan rejected the Taliban-ruled Afghan government’s claims that its forces and intelligence agencies had supported the “fighters” in Nuristan.
The casualties were reported amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Gulistan sector along the Durand Line. The latest escalation has also reportedly resulted in the deaths of several Taliban members.
