Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes in Afghanistan, Casualty Reports Vary

Pakistan conducted airstrikes on northeastern Afghanistan on Monday, targeting what Pakistani security officials described as militant hideouts. The strikes reportedly took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar and Paktika. The Taliban government in Kabul claimed that three people were killed, accusing Pakistan of bombarding civilian homes. In contrast, the Associated Press reported that two unnamed Pakistani security officials stated that 28 suspected militants were killed. Afghanistan's deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat indicated that one strike hit around 3:00 am Monday (2230 UTC, Sunday) in Kunar's Nurgal district, completely destroying a house and resulting in three fatalities and four injuries. Fitrat also mentioned that two locations in Paktika were struck, including a shop and an unoccupied house. There has been no official statement from Pakistan regarding the airstrikes. The reported strikes follow a suicide bombing and a 20-hour gun battle between militants and police on Friday in the Pakistani city of Kohat, which is near the Afghan border, resulting in at least 31 deaths, including 16 police officers. The local militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, linked to the jihadist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for that attack. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense since the Taliban regained power in 2021, and these latest strikes threaten to disrupt a period of relative calm that followed severe clashes earlier this year. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups that launch attacks into its territory, particularly the TTP and Baloch separatist groups. The Taliban has denied these allegations, stating that militancy in Pakistan is an internal issue.