Pakistan's information minister said Thursday its forces carried out air and drone strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan, without saying where; a Kandahar resident told AFP an overnight airstrike hit the city, describing a jet, an explosion and a fire.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the strikes as “precise” and said they were limited to military objectives directly linked to attempted attacks against Pakistan. He accused the Afghan Taliban government of allowing “terrorist sanctuaries”; Afghan officials deny the charge and counter that Pakistan harbors hostile groups and does not respect Afghan sovereignty.
Earlier this week, the UN reported at least three civilians killed in Pakistani strikes in eastern Afghanistan; Pakistan said 28 militants were killed. Pakistan's border-area strikes followed a Friday attack on a police headquarters in northern Pakistan that killed at least 31 people, claimed by a group linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A ceasefire agreed in March has not produced a lasting resolution, with Pakistan demanding that Afghanistan curb the TTP.
