Pakistan on Tuesday said its fighter jets bombed four locations where camps of banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were located in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which left several terrorists dead or wounded, media reports said.
The incumbent Taliban government in Afghanistan, however, said the strikes claimed the lives of several civilians.
Sources told Pakistan’s Dawn News that TTP camps in the Murgha and Laman areas of Bernal district were targeted, including one that was used by Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar, Commander Abu Hamza, Commander Akhtar Muhammad and the head of TTP’s media arm, Umar Media.
Taliban confirmed the development on X. “Ministry of National Defense Reacts to Pakistani Army’s Brutal Bombing in Paktika Province,” it tweeted.
The Ministry said civilians were targeted in the incident.
“Pakistani army bombed Barmal district of Paktika province this evening. The bombing targeted civilians, mostly Waziristan refugees,” the Afghan defence ministry said.
Death toll
The exact death toll due to the strikes is still not known.
According to sources, 15 bodies, including that of women and children, have been retrieved from under the rubble so far, and the death toll might rise, reported Afghanistan-based Khaama Press.
Tension between the Taliban and Pakistan has escalated in recent times, especially over the presence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s southern provinces.
Pakistan has continuously accused the Afghanistan Taliban of harbouring TTP militants.
The Taliban has continuously rejected the claims.
