Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 people, official says

Afghanistan accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, killing 13 civilians and injuring 14. The attacks mark a new escalation in border tensions, with both countries blaming each other for supporting militant groups and cross-border violence

Kabul: Afghanistan said Wednesday that Pakistan launched new airstrikes targeting the country, killing at least 13 people and wounding 14 others.

Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced the airstrikes, which he said targeted the Afghan provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika. He said the strikes killed 11 children, one woman and one elderly man.

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There was no immediate acknowledgment of the strikes from Pakistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan had been embroiled in months of deadly fighting that killed hundreds of people since late February, when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.