UN reports 13 civilians killed in Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said on Monday it had received “credible reports” that at least 13 civilians were killed and seven others injured in overnight Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.

According to the UN mission, the casualties, including women and children, were reported in Nangarhar province.

In neighbouring Paktika province, airstrikes hit a madrassa and partially damaged a mosque and a house. The UN said no civilian casualties were immediately reported there.

The mission urged both sides to end hostilities and take all necessary measures to protect civilians.

It's after Pakistani jets carried out airstrikes in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan early on Sunday (22 February), targeting what Islamabad described as militant hideouts.

Afghan officials said civilians were killed in the strikes and vowed retaliation.

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Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry told local broadcaster Geo News that at least 70 “terrorists” were killed, citing preliminary reports.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi and government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes killed and wounded dozens of women and children.

Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence in recent years, much of it attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and banned Baloch separatist groups.

Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban of operating from Afghan territory, an allegation the Taliban-led government in Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Relations between the two neighbours have remained strained since deadly clashes last October. Although a Qatar-mediated ceasefire largely held, subsequent talks in Istanbul failed to result in a formal agreement.

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