Taliban hits back at Pakistan for deadly attack that killed dozens in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika

Last week, Pakistan had launched an operation to destroy a training facility and kill insurgents in Paktika. But, it led to the deaths of dozens of people

Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Saturday that its forces hit several points inside Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes last week.

Residents gather near a damaged house two days after Pakistani air strikes struck the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province. (AFP)

Pakistan last Tuesday launched an operation to destroy a training facility and kill insurgents in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province. The strikes killed dozens of people, mostly women and children.

Comments from the Taliban Defense Ministry on Saturday, posted on X, said its forces targeted Pakistani points that “served as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan.”

The ministry did not say if there were any casualties or how the strikes were carried out.

Pakistani officials have accused the Taliban of not doing enough to combat cross-border militant activity, a charge the Taliban government denies, saying it does not allow anyone to carry out attacks against any country from its soil.

No one from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry was immediately available for comment about the retaliation.