The Afghan government announced that 9 civilians had been killed and 11 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes targeting Helmand and Kunar provinces overnight from Wednesday into Thursday, while Islamabad confirmed carrying out what it called “planned and measured” strikes against armed-group sites inside Afghanistan.
Afghan government announces airstrike toll
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on the X platform that the strikes on Helmand province in southern Afghanistan and Kunar province in the east, both areas bordering Pakistan, had also destroyed three homes. The Afghan government attributed the death and injury toll to the Pakistani strikes. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information, meanwhile, said on Thursday that the operations had been carried out on the basis of what it described as reliable intelligence.
It added that the targeting had been precise and specific, hitting camps and hideouts at two sites inside Afghan territory. The ministry said the targeted sites belonged to the groups “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hind”, as well as affiliated groups, names it used to refer to the armed groups in question.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants whom it says use its territory to plan attacks inside Pakistan.
