36 Killed as Pakistan Launches Strikes Inside Afghanistan

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Kabul : Pakistani military strikes in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 36 civilians and injured 163 others, Afghan Taliban authorities said on Monday, marking the latest escalation in worsening tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

The Taliban government condemned the attacks as a 'cowardly act of aggression’ and accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas in three eastern provinces. Pakistani officials, however, said the operations were aimed at militant groups responsible for recent attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said security forces carried out intelligence-based ground operations followed by airstrikes against the hideouts of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along the border region.

The strikes came a day after militants attacked a paramilitary headquarters in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing three security personnel. Pakistani authorities said one of the attackers was an Afghan national, while the militant group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the assault.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with both sides accusing each other of supporting militant activity. A ceasefire agreed in March has failed to stop sporadic clashes and cross-border attacks.

Pakistan says military operations inside Afghanistan are necessary to combat rising militant violence at home, while the Taliban government denies harbouring armed groups and accuses Islamabad of causing heavy civilian casualties through its military actions.

Pic Credit: AFP