Afghanistan
Taliban: Pakistani attacks kill more than 40 civilians
Apparently spurred on by the takeover, the Taliban have stepped up their attacks in the Pakistani part of the tribal area. (Archive image) Photo: Hussein Malla/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The neighboring country bombed four Afghan villages, according to the Taliban. That cannot be checked. However, Pakistan had threatened retaliation for soldiers killed in the border region.
According to the militant Islamist Taliban, at least 45 civilians have been killed in attacks by the Pakistani military in Afghanistan.
In the province of Khost in the east of the country, the neighboring country bombed four villages from the air on Saturday night, reported a representative of the Taliban, who have been in power again in Afghanistan since August. At least 40 people died, including children. There are also at least 20 injured.
The statements could not initially be verified independently. Initially, there was no comment from Pakistan.
In the Afghan border province of Kunar, the Taliban also reported that five civilians had been killed in attacks during the night. Pakistani forces had been shelling several districts with heavy artillery for days, said the provincial head of the information and culture ministry, Najibullah Hanif, the German Press Agency.
Border region particularly insecure since Taliban takeover
On Friday, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region bordering Khost. Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had therefore announced retaliation.
The region along the border has been particularly insecure since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. Apparently spurred on by the takeover in Kabul, the Taliban have stepped up their attacks in the Pakistani part of the tribal area. In November, the leadership in Islamabad agreed with them on a temporary ceasefire, which the Taliban canceled in December.