Pakistan Airstrikes Kill 46 in Afghanistan’s Paktika Province

Peshawar, Dec 25: Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed at least 46 people, mostly women and children, in Paktika province, bordering Pakistan, according to a Taliban government official. The airstrike also left six others wounded, said Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government.

The attack occurred on December 24, a day after Pakistani security officials, speaking anonymously, claimed the operation targeted a training facility in Paktika, aiming to dismantle insurgents. Mohammad Khurasani, spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, disputed the official report, claiming that 50 people, including 27 women and children, were killed in the strikes.

Local residents told an AP reporter that at least 13 people were confirmed dead, but the toll could rise. Many of the injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Pakistan has yet to comment on the strikes, but the Pakistani military reported killing 13 insurgents in an overnight operation on Wednesday.