In brief
The United Nations Afghan mission confirmed that at least 28 civilians were killed when Pakistan launched air strikes and ground operations across its border with Afghanistan. 49 people were wounded, including women and children, according to UNAMA feeds. The Taliban described the attacks as a “cowardly act” and an “atrocity,” while Pakistan said it targeted militant hideouts in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. This comes after a ceasefire agreement in October that has since collapsed, and follows a series of cross‑border clashes over the past months. Pakistani officials also cited a recent suicide attack on its Sindh Rangers headquarters, claiming all three militants were killed.
At least 28 civilians were killed when Pakistan launched air strikes and sent ground troops into Afghan provinces along its border on Sunday, the United Nations Afghan mission has said.
A further 49 were injured, with women and children among the victims, according to UNAMA.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government described the strike as a “cowardly act” and an “atrocity,” noting that civilian homes were hit.
Pakistan stated it had targeted militant hideouts in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces.
The countries had agreed to a ceasefire last October following weeks of deadly clashes, but the agreement has since fallen apart.
Casualties were concentrated in Mandokhail, a village in the Paktia province, according to Taliban officials.
Adam Khan, 63, told AFP that he “cannot put into words the condition of the children I saw at the hospital, or the screams of their parents and siblings.”
He said those killed included “children, elderly people and women” sleeping in a house during one of the strikes.
The Taliban government put the civilian death toll at 36 and said more than 160 were injured.
Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said 29 militants were killed in an operation responding to recent terrorist attacks against innocent people.
The BBC has not independently confirmed figures from either side.
The attacks came a day after three members of the Sindh Rangers, a Pakistani paramilitary force, were killed at their headquarters in Karachi, according to Pakistan’s military. Three militants also died in the suicide attack; Pakistani officials said they had arrested a fourth, who was an Afghan.
Jamaat‑ul‑Ahrar, a splinter faction of the TTP, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack.
Both the TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, and Jamaat‑ul‑Ahrar are banned in Pakistan and by the UN due to their involvement in past attacks.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harbouring terror groups that carry out cross‑border attacks, a claim the Taliban government rejects. Kabul, in turn, accuses Islamabad of carrying out unprovoked attacks that kill civilians. Pakistan says it only targets militants.
Intermittent border clashes and air strikes in the border area have killed dozens of people in recent months, according to officials in both countries.
In February, clashes between the two countries left dozens of people dead. In March, a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul killed hundreds.
Earlier in June, Pakistan launched deadly air strikes that killed 26 militants. The Taliban government said 13 people, mostly children, were also killed in the strikes.
