Pakistan strikes Afghan border regions killing militants amid civilian toll dispute
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Pakistan strikes Afghan border regions killing militants amid civilian toll dispute
Pakistan launches ground and air strikes in eastern Afghanistan after Karachi attack
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Pakistan launched overnight ground and air operations in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 29 militants but triggering a sharp condemnation from Kabul after Afghan officials reported that at least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the strikes. The cross-border assaults, which included a ground incursion along the border, targeted militant hideouts in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces, according to Islamabad. The Pakistani military claimed the strikes destroyed three militant compounds linked to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a group it accused of carrying out a deadly attack on Pakistani paramilitary forces in Karachi the previous day.
Kabul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Sunday evening describing the operation as a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty” and demanding an immediate end to the attacks. Afghan officials said the strikes had killed 36 civilians and injured 158 others across the three provinces, with the highest toll reported in Paktika. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed 28 civilian deaths in its preliminary assessment, while Taliban officials cited higher figures. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting released footage purportedly showing Pakistan Air Force airstrikes on JuA positions inside Afghanistan .
The escalation follows a militant assault on a Rangers facility in Karachi on Saturday, in which three attackers were killed and an Afghan national was captured. Pakistani authorities vowed retribution, linking the cross-border strikes to the need to dismantle safe havens used by armed groups operating from Afghan soil. Analysts, however, warned that military pressure alone cannot contain the threat, noting that armed groups have increasingly targeted Pakistani cities despite previous operations .
The conflicting casualty figures underscore the difficulty of verifying reports in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces, where access for independent observers remains severely restricted. Both sides have traded accusations, with Islamabad insisting the strikes were precise and proportionate, while Kabul described them as indiscriminate. The Afghan Taliban, which controls much of the border region, reported 38 civilian deaths and 158 injuries in its own tally, further complicating efforts to establish a definitive account .
The international community has yet to issue a unified response, though the UN’s confirmation of civilian casualties is likely to intensify diplomatic pressure on both sides to de-escalate. For now, the border remains tense, with fears that further strikes could provoke a broader confrontation in a region already grappling with decades of instability.
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