DUBAI, December 24. /TASS/. Pakistani forces carried out strikes on an area just across the border in Afghanistan, killing and injuring civilians, according to the Taliban (banned in Russia).

The strikes targeted the Barmal District in the Paktika province, the Taliban-controlled Afghan Defense Ministry said in a post on X. The casualties included children, according to the post.

The ministry condemned the attack, saying it violated international law and didn’t represent a solution to any issue. The ministry pledged a retaliation.

In late November, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate of the Pakistani armed forces, that Pakistani security forces had killed at least three terrorists that attempted to infiltrate the country from Afghanistan. The report said Islamabad had regularly asked the Afghan authorities to secure the border and "prevent extremists from using Afghan territory to commit acts of terrorism against Pakistan.".