The Taliban government on Wednesday said Pakistan air strikes in an eastern border region of Afghanistan killed 46 civilians.

Authorities said the strikes were the latest spike in hostilities on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with tensions escalating since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

According to Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, Pakistan bombarded four areas in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province.

He said six more people were wounded, adding that the total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women.

Neither Pakistan’s foreign ministry nor its military have responded to a request for comment.

However, a senior Pakistan security official said the strikes were on terrorist hideouts using jets and drones and that they killed at least 20 militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP, the country’s homegrown Taliban group.

“Arguments from Afghan officials claiming civilians are being harmed are baseless and misleading,” the senior Pakistan security official said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, a Taliban defence ministry statement late Tuesday condemned the strikes, calling them barbaric and a clear aggression.

“The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered, but rather considers the defence of its territory and sovereignty to be its inalienable right,” the statement said, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.