Pakistan Denies Civilian Casualties In Border Strikes With Afghanistan
Pakistan’s information minister denied reports that civilians were killed in recent airstrikes along the border with Afghanistan, calling the claims “false and misleading.”
Pakistan’s information minister denied reports that civilians were killed in recent airstrikes along the border with Afghanistan, calling the claims “false and misleading.”
Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that allegations of civilian deaths were being spread to support “terrorist groups based in Afghanistan.” He maintained that no civilians were harmed in Friday night’s air operations near the frontier.
His remarks followed reports by Afghanistan’s state-run television, controlled by the Taliban, which said at least 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 13 others injured in Pakistani strikes on Paktika province. The Afghanistan Cricket Board also claimed that several players were among the victims.
Tarar said the strikes targeted verified camps belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in North and South Waziristan. He claimed that between 60 and 70 militants were killed in the operation.
