Russian military denies rumors about airstrike in N. Afghanistan

Rumors about an airstrike allegedly carried out by Russian planes in northern Afghanistan do not correspond to reality, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. Reports by Reuters that Russian planes attacked Taliban militants in a northeastern border region of Afghanistan “have nothing to do with the reality,” according to the statement. “Russian military planes have carried out no combat missions in the area of the state border between the Republic of Tajikistan and Afghanistan,” the ministry added. Two Afghan officials were quoted on Monday as saying that Tajik or Russian combat planes had allegedly carried out bombing raids in Afghanistan on the border with Tajikistan after a clash between Tajik border guards and militants on the ground. Eight Taliban militants were reportedly killed and six others wounded as a result of the airstrike, TASS said. Tajikistan has denied its military’s participation in the alleged attack.