KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday that Pakistani airstrikes hit the eastern Afghan province of Kunar early in the day, killing nine people and injuring 11 others, while three houses were also damaged.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said its security forces carried out airstrikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan, killing 22 militants and destroying weapons caches, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Afghanistan's Mujahid condemned the strikes, saying they violated all recognized norms and constituted acts of aggression and crime.
Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the governor of Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, confirmed to local media that the province had also been hit by Pakistani airstrikes early Thursday.
The statement by Pakistan's information and broadcasting ministry said the strikes were conducted under Pakistan's ongoing counterterrorism campaign, based on what it described as credible intelligence about the presence of militant camps and safe havens across the border.
The ministry added that the operations were aimed solely at militant infrastructure and that maximum precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage. ■