Pakistan launches airstrikes in Afghanistan that the Afghan Taliban says kill nine people. The Taliban statement says the strikes hit areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces and damage or strike three houses. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says the dead include women and children and that 11 others are injured.
Islamabad, in contrast, says the airstrikes target militant hideouts and that the operation kills 22 “terrorists.” Multiple outlets report that Afghanistan condemns the strikes, while also highlighting the Taliban’s claim that civilians are among the casualties. The reporting frames the incident as occurring amid an escalation in fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan after about three months of relative calm.
