The Taliban deputy spokesman on Sunday claimed that Pakistani air and rocket strikes overnight killed three civilians and wounded two others in eastern Afghanistan, as cross-border tensions continued to escalate.
Hamdullah Fitrat said in a statement that two civilians, including a woman, were killed in strikes in Nangarhar province and that two others were wounded. He said four homes were destroyed in the Ghani Khil district of the province.
In a separate strike in Dand Patan district of Paktia province, Fitrat said, one civilian was killed and another wounded.
He did not provide information about possible Taliban casualties in the overnight attacks. Earlier, the Taliban’s Defense Ministry confirmed that border clashes had taken place in eastern Afghanistan.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Pakistani officials did not immediately comment.
The reported strikes came as parts of Kabul were shaken by explosions and heavy gunfire early Sunday, March 1. Residents said the shooting began around 5 a.m. and lasted for about an hour.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, wrote on X that the gunfire in Kabul consisted of what he described as “defensive” shots fired at Pakistani aircraft.
Separately, local sources in Parwan province in central Afghanistan and north of Kabul said three Pakistani fighter jets bombed Bagram air base overnight, though the Taliban have not publicly commented on that claim.
At the same time, several sources told Amu TV that Taliban intelligence officials had instructed domestic media outlets not to report from areas targeted in Pakistani airstrikes.
The directive was conveyed to journalists and media organizations, the sources said, and in some cases intelligence officials monitored newsroom activities. Media outlets were warned not to defy the order, according to the sources.
Taliban have not publicly addressed the reported restrictions.
