Afghanistan says Pakistani airstrikes kill 36 in border provinces

KABUL/ISLAMABAD -- Afghan government officials said on Monday that Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 36 people and injured 163 others.

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Afghan government, posted on the social media platform X that the strikes occurred on Sunday night in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar, all of which share a border with Pakistan.

Earlier, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid strongly condemned the strikes.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said earlier that Pakistan launched a ground operation and airstrikes against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists and its splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas.

Twenty-nine terrorists were killed and they were involved in recent multiple terrorist incidents against innocent civilians and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, the Pakistani minister said.