KABUL: The Afghan Taliban administration has restricted media access to areas hit by Pakistani airstrikes, according to regional media reports. Pakistan said it carried out the strikes based on verified and credible intelligence targeting militant hideouts in Afghanistan.
Authorities in Afghanistan blocked local journalists and residents from accessing the affected sites, reported The South Asia Times. State-run Afghan media aired footage from debris in Bahsud district but did not release reports from other targeted locations.
Residents in Paktika, Khost and Nangarhar told the publication that Taliban forces sealed off several areas immediately after the strikes. Locals said militants had lived in some of these areas with their families for years. Authorities rejected requests from journalists seeking access to sites in Khogyani, Nangarhar, Khost and other districts.
The restrictions have raised questions about the actual death toll and the full impact of the strikes.
Analysts say denying independent media access strengthens perceptions that the Taliban administration is concealing ground realities. They argue that credible evidence indicates the presence of militant safe havens in Afghanistan.
Also Read: Afghan Taliban Spokesperson Admits Role in Terror Attacks in Pakistan
The media blackout, observers say, suggests that militant hideouts operate inside Afghanistan under the Taliban administration’s oversight.
