Taliban Reports 18 Dead in Pakistan’s Attack on Paktia District
Taliban authorities have reported that at least 18 people were killed in a Pakistani military attack on the Samkani district of Paktia province last night, with casualties expected to rise. According to them, the majority of the victims were civilians, particularly women and children.
Khalid Ahmad Sajad, deputy district governor under the Taliban in Samkani, stated that the target of the attack was a residential house and that those killed had no connections to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He rejected the Pakistani government’s claim of targeting members of this group.
In contrast, Ataullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, announced that the attacks on the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar targeted TTP hideouts, resulting in the deaths of 25 members of the group.
According to the Taliban administration, in the Manura district of Kunar province, a house was also destroyed and some livestock were killed, but no human casualties were reported. No clear details have yet emerged about an attack in the Gyan district of Paktika province.
Local sources who spoke to reporters claim that Pakistani fighter jets first bombed a residential house and then struck the area again when local residents gathered to assist the victims; these sources say this second strike caused more casualties. However, these accounts have not been independently verified.
The scale and intensity of the attack on Samkani district have been highlighted as particularly notable in these incidents. This event occurs amid rising border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban administration in recent months, with similar attacks sparking concern among residents of border areas.
