Pakistani strikes kill 10 Afghan civilians, Taliban says

The Taliban government said Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan's Helmand and Kunar provinces killed 10 civilians on Thursday, while Islamabad said it carried out planned attacks on militant sites.

Taliban government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat gave the civilian death toll. Pakistan confirmed “planned and calibrated” strikes in Afghanistan but did not detail the locations. Its information ministry said two locations were hit based on “credible intelligence” and “selective targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts”.

Pakistan's information ministry reported an initial toll of 22 militants killed and said weapons and ammunition were destroyed.

Two Helmand residents said three airstrikes hit their village. Abdul Wahid, a resident of Safar village, said four people were killed and seven wounded there. Another villager, Qudrat Ullah, said his neighbours' house was hit and said civilians, including children and women, were killed.

In mountainous Kunar province, an AFP journalist saw the remains of stone houses in the remote Chugam Valley. Mohammad Hashim, a farmer, said he rushed to rescue residents after the pre-dawn attack and found a man and four children who had been killed.

Afghanistan and Pakistan went to war earlier this year and there have been sporadic attacks since a March truce. The latest strikes follow bombardment last week on multiple Afghan provinces, which the Taliban government said killed civilians. Pakistan said it targeted militants.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants behind frequent bomb and gun attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban government denies this and criticises Pakistan for violating Afghanistan's sovereignty and killing civilians.

More than 500 civilians have been killed in violence between the two countries since October, according to figures from the United Nations mission in Afghanistan.