FLASH
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The Taliban government says airstrikes and ground operations killed civilians, while Islamabad says the targets were militants responsible for the terrorist attacks...
Pakistan on Sunday carried out air strikes and sent ground troops into Afghan provinces along the border between the two countries, in an operation that, according to Afghan authorities, caused dozens of casualties.
Afghanistan's Taliban government said at least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed and over 160 wounded in the attacks, which Kabul called a "cowardly act" and a "crime and atrocity."
Meanwhile, Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that 29 militants were killed in their hideouts during the operation. According to him, the strikes were a response to "recent terrorist attacks on innocent citizens."
Pakistan has for years accused Afghanistan of harboring armed groups that carry out cross-border attacks, a charge the Taliban government denies. Meanwhile, Kabul has repeatedly accused Islamabad of unprovoked attacks that have caused civilian casualties, while Pakistani authorities insist they only strike militant targets.
The two countries had agreed to a ceasefire in October last year after weeks of bloody clashes. However, like previous internationally brokered agreements, the ceasefire collapsed after a few months.
The BBC notes that it has not been able to independently verify the casualty figures published by the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to Taliban authorities, the attacks hit civilian homes, while Pakistan claims the targets were militant bases in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Afghan officials said the highest number of casualties was recorded in the village of Mandokhail, in Paktika province.
The operation came a day after three members of Pakistan's Sindh Rangers paramilitary force were killed in a suicide attack on their headquarters in Karachi. The Pakistani military said three other militants were killed in the attack and a fourth, an Afghan national, was arrested.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack. Both the TTP and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar are banned organizations in Pakistan and sanctioned by the United Nations for their involvement in terrorist attacks.
Sporadic clashes along the border and airstrikes have claimed dozens of lives in recent months. In February, clashes between the two countries left dozens dead. In March, a Pakistani attack on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul left hundreds dead, according to reports cited in the article. Earlier in June, Pakistan carried out airstrikes that Islamabad said killed 26 militants, while the Taliban government said 13 more people, mostly children, were killed.
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