The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban claimed that Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and injured 163 others, while Pakistan said the operation targeted militant hideouts along the two countries' border.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a post on X on June 29, 2026, that the strikes hit areas in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces, resulting in a total of 199 civilian casualties.
According to Fitrat, an airstrike on a civilian home in the Mandokhail village of Chamkani district, Paktia province, killed an elderly man and a child and injured several members of the family. He claimed that a second strike hit villagers who had gathered to assist the victims, killing 28 people and injuring 158 others.
Fitrat also alleged that six people, most of them women and children, were killed when a house in the Wolast village of Giyan district, Paktika province, was struck.
He added that another strike destroyed a civilian house in the Barolo area of Manogai district, Kunar province, causing property damage but no casualties.
According to the Taliban, the attacks killed 36 civilians, including women and children, and wounded another 163 people.
Pakistan has presented a different account of the operation.
Earlier, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani forces targeted what he described as militant camps and hideouts in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar during the night of June 28-29, 2026. He claimed the operation killed 25 militants and destroyed weapons and ammunition stored at the sites.
Pakistan said the strikes were carried out against members of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and other militant groups following a series of attacks inside Pakistan.
The casualty figures and claims made by both sides could not be independently verified.
