Pakistan security forces kill 29 militants along Pakistan-Afghanistan border

Pakistan's security forces launched ground and air operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Sunday, killing at least 29 militants, according to Pakistani officials. Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban said Pakistani air strikes in border areas killed and injured dozens of civilians.

Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said four fighters linked to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, were killed in ground operations. He added that air strikes targeted three locations in the Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar, killing 25 militants and destroying large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid condemned the strikes, saying they resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, including women and children.

"The attacks resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, including women and children. We strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression and consider it a crime and an act of brutality," Mujahid said in a post on X on Monday.

Tarar said the military operations were carried out in response to "recent multiple terrorist incidents."

On Saturday, Pakistan's military said a bomb and gun attack by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar on a Sindh Rangers facility in Karachi killed three paramilitary personnel and wounded four others.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban-led government of sheltering militants who plan attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban has denied the allegations, insisting that militancy is an internal issue for Pakistan.

-Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru and Shilpa Jamkhandikar in Mumbai; Editing by Chris Reese and Kate Mayberry/Reuters