E-Paper
11 kids among 13 killed in fresh strikes by Pakistan, says Afghanistan as tensions renew
Pakistan has not yet acknowledged the strikes.
At least 13 people were killed and 14 others were wounded in fresh airstrikes by Pakistan, said Afghanistan on Wednesday. According to Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, the airstrikes targeted Khost, Kunar and Paktika provinces in Aghanistan, reported news agency Associated Press.
Among those who were killed in the strikes were 11 children, one woman and one elderly man.
Also read: 'Congress themselves gave us info': BJP's big claim on Meenakshi Natarajan's RS setback
Pakistan has not yet acknowledged the strikes.
The strikes came a day after suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security post in the Hasan Khel area of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghanistan border. The assault triggered a fierce gunbattle that left six Federal Constabulary personnel dead and several others injured, according to Pakistan's Interior Ministry.
According to local authorities, security forces killed eight of the attackers and also managed to thwart an attempt to overrun the checkpoint on Tuesday. Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi also attended funeral prayers for the dead personnel in Peshawar, the AP report said.
Track live updates of US-Iran war here
The fresh strike come after months of tensions between both the countries which have been engaged in deadly fighting. Since late February, Afghanistan and Pakistan have exchanged strikes resulting in hundreds of deaths. However, a brief China-brokered ceasefire was put in place.
Also read: India slams Pakistan over deadly crackdown on protesters in PoK
On April 27, Pakistan struck Afghanistan, risking the ceasefire, killing at least seven people and injuring 85. The strikes were carried out at a university and civilian neighbourhoods.
According to Pakistan, Afghanistan harbours militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, also called Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, which carries out attacks inside Pakistan. While TTP is separate from the Afghan Taliban, both groups are allied. However, Afghanistan denies the claim.
Taliban has been in power in Afghanistan since 2021 after the US troops left the country.
