Pakistan says 22 killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan

Pakistan has carried out fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kunar provinces. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said 22 armed fighters were killed in the strikes, which targeted militant hideouts at two separate locations.
The Pakistani Ministry of Information disclosed the information on Thursday morning.
Earlier on Wednesday night, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Pakistani airstrikes in Helmand and Kunar had killed nine people, including women and children, and injured 11 others.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes were carried out late Wednesday night. In a post on X, he said three houses were destroyed in the Pakistani airstrikes in Helmand and Kunar.
Condemning the attacks, he described them as crimes in violation of international law.
Although there had been no major tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past three months, the situation has deteriorated over the past two weeks. During this period, Pakistan began blaming the Taliban government for attacks by armed groups at several locations, including a mosque.
Islamabad has accused armed groups allegedly sheltered and supported by the Taliban of using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban government, however, has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Tensions between the two countries further escalated following the mosque attack. Meanwhile, Pakistan has carried out direct airstrikes inside Afghanistan on at least two occasions.
However, international news agencies have not been able to independently verify the conflicting casualty figures provided by Afghanistan and Pakistan regarding the latest strikes.