Pakistan Airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand Kill 9 Civilians
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban administration, said Pakistani airstrikes on residential areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces killed 9 civilians, including women and children, and injured 11 others. He said three residential houses were also destroyed.
According to local Taliban administration officials, in an attack on the Safar area in Gereshk district of Helmand, four civilians were killed and six others were wounded. In Shultan district of Kunar, five people were killed and three others injured. These details point to a total of 9 wounded, a figure that differs from Mujahid’s overall toll of 11 injured.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information confirmed the strikes, but said the country’s forces had targeted hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch armed groups at two locations in Afghanistan. The ministry claimed the strikes killed 22 “terrorists” and destroyed a large quantity of weapons and ammunition.
Mujahid condemned the attacks, calling them “aggression” and a “crime.” Pakistan’s Ministry of Information also said the military operation, known as “Ghazab al-Haq,” would continue to counter threats.
Pakistan also bombed parts of Afghanistan two weeks ago. Islamabad said at the time it had targeted hideouts of Pakistani groups, while the Taliban administration and the United Nations reported the deaths of civilians.
