Pakistan strikes Afghanistan as border fighting escalates
publishers 9articles 11first reported 24 Sep, 06:19 UTCdeveloping since 24 Sep · 8 editions
Pakistan said it struck 10 sites in Afghanistan on Thursday after intercepting drones that Islamabad alleged were launched from Afghan territory, as renewed fighting between the neighboring countries continued along the border on Friday.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani aircraft and drones targeted hideouts, support infrastructure, and drone launch and storage sites linked to the attempted attacks. He described the operation as limited to identified military objectives. Afghanistan’s Taliban government denied launching drones against Pakistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces and killed four civilians. A Khost provincial spokesman said houses were damaged but reported no casualties there. An official in Paktia said the Taliban-controlled 203 Mansouri Corps was bombed, without providing casualty figures. The Taliban called the strikes hostile and said it would respond appropriately.
On Friday, Pakistani security sources reported intermittent cross-border fire in the Gulistan area and said several Afghan Taliban fighters had been killed. Al Jazeera said neither government had officially confirmed that account and that fighting was ongoing.
The escalation follows a September 18 attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan that killed at least 24 people, according to some reports, while AFP put the toll at 31. Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants who carry out attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban government rejects that accusation and says Pakistan’s militancy is an internal issue.
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Written from 8 articles, 3 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 18 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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