Afghan men search for victims after an overnight Pakistani airstrike hit a residential area in the Girdi Kas village of Bihsud district, Nangarhar province, Feb. 22. AFP-Yonhap
BIHSUD, Afghanistan — Pakistan said Sunday it launched multiple air strikes targeting militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the government reported children were among dozens of people killed and wounded.
The overnight attacks were the most extensive since border clashes in October killed more than 70 people on both sides and wounded hundreds.
Islamabad said it hit seven sites along the border region targeting Afghanistan-based militant groups "in the aftermath of recent suicide bombing incidents in Pakistan."
The military targeted the Pakistani Taliban and its associates, as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group, a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.
Afghanistan's defence ministry said "dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were martyred and wounded" when strikes hit a madrasa and homes in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.
"People here are ordinary people. The residents of this village are our relatives. When the bombing happened, one person who survived was shouting for help," said neighbour Amin Gul Amin, 37.
Nangarhar police told AFP the bombardment started at around midnight and hit three districts.
"Civilians were killed. In one house, there were 23 family members. Five wounded people were taken out," said police spokesperson Sayed Tayeeb Hammad.
Source: Korea Times News
