Pakistan and Taliban give conflicting accounts of Afghan strikes

Pakistan said its forces carried out overnight airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces against militant hideouts, while Taliban officials said the attacks killed nine civilians and wounded 11. The competing accounts of the targets and casualties have not been independently verified. Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the strikes hit two locations and that initial reports indicated 22 militants were killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. It said precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. The ministry did not identify the locations in the reports provided. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit Shultan district in Kunar and Garmser district in Helmand, killing nine civilians, including women and children, and injuring 11 others. He also said three houses were destroyed. Those details have not been independently confirmed. The attacks add to a series of reported Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan amid escalating tensions between the neighbors over armed groups and cross-border attacks.