UN says strikes kill 10 civilians in Afghanistan

KABUL

At least 10 civilians, most of them children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan on Oct. 1, the United Nations said, as Islamabad said it had targeted militant hideouts.

The strikes hit the southern province of Helmand and eastern Kunar, which borders Pakistan, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said. Nine people were also wounded.

Pakistan confirmed carrying out what it called “planned and calibrated” strikes at two locations in Afghanistan, saying they were based on intelligence about militant camps and hideouts.

Its Information Ministry said an initial assessment showed 22 militants had been killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. The claim could not be independently verified.

Afghan authorities said civilians were among the victims, while residents in Helmand told AFP that homes had been struck.

One resident, Abdul Wahid, said four people were killed and seven wounded in his village. In Kunar, an AFP journalist saw damaged stone houses after the strikes.
The latest attacks come amid persistent tensions between the two neighbors following heavy fighting earlier this year.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of harboring militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusation and has repeatedly condemned Pakistani strikes as violations of Afghan sovereignty.

UNAMA has repeatedly called on both sides to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law amid the cross-border violence.