Kabul: Pakistan has carried out fresh air strikes on Afghanistan, with the Taliban government reporting 9 civilian deaths and 11 injuries while 22 militants were killed in Islamabad.
The strikes hit locations in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces, according to Afghan authorities. Pakistan’s Information Ministry gave a different account and the operation targeted militant hideouts at 2 locations. The ministry noted that the strikes were based on credible intelligence and destroyed weapons and ammunition.
Pakistan added that precautions were taken to prevent civilian casualties and described the operation as precise. Islamabad repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The Taliban government has rejected those accusations. Kabul has maintained that militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue and denied providing safe havens for groups responsible for attacks across the border.
Relations between the 2 neighbours deteriorates sharply following repeated clashes and air strikes. Pakistan declared an open war with Afghanistan earlier this year after a surge in deadly fighting along the border and a series of cross-border attacks.
China helped mediate a ceasefire between the neighbours in March. The agreement provided a temporary reduction in fighting but did not resolve the wider dispute over militant activity and cross-border security.
Tensions intensified again after a deadly attack on a police facility in north-west Pakistan last month. The attack killed 24 people and was blamed by Pakistani authorities on the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan continues to link militant activity inside the country to groups operating from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan consistently rejected Pakistan’s allegations. The dispute also involved accusations over drone attacks and military activity along the border. The renewed violence raised concerns about further escalation between the neighbouring countries.
Pakistan carried out another round of air strikes in Afghanistan last week. The operation targeted 10 locations in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, the sites were connected to the launch and storage of drones used in attacks against Pakistan.
The latest strikes come after several months of heightened tensions and repeated allegations from both sides. The competing accounts of the latest casualties could not immediately be independently verified, highlighting the continuing dispute over military operations and civilian harm along the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict.
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