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Pakistani strikes on eastern Afghanistan killed three civilians and wounded four others, according to Taliban authorities, while Pakistan said its forces targeted “terrorist hubs” along the border.
The strikes hit Nurgal district in Kunar province around 3am Monday, Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said. A house in the village of Patan was completely destroyed, killing three members of a family and injuring four others, he said.
AFP journalists saw the damaged house as dozens of people gathered for the victims’ funerals.
Mubin Khan, a farmer who was injured in the strike, told AFP that his house was targeted during the night and three members of his family were killed.
Fitrat said two locations in neighbouring Paktika province were also bombarded, but reported no casualties there.
Pakistan’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry confirmed strikes on three locations, saying they targeted “terrorist hubs” based on “credible intelligence”.
The ministry said 28 militants, along with several suicide bombers, were killed. The Taliban government rejected the claim, calling the reported death toll untrue.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned what he called “aggression” and said Afghans would respond.
The strikes came days after an attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan that killed at least 31 people, including 16 police officers. Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a local faction linked to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering or supporting militant groups behind attacks on its territory, allegations denied by the Taliban government.
The neighbours have maintained tense relations since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan has carried out several strikes inside Afghanistan, including deadly bombardments in June.
Earlier this year, Pakistan also stepped up airstrikes, including in Kabul. The United Nations said a March 16 strike on a drug treatment hospital in the Afghan capital killed at least 269 civilians.