Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated sharply on Friday after Pakistan conducted airstrikes on the Afghan cities of Kabul and Kandahar, prompting a forceful response from the Taliban along the border.
Residents in Kabul reported hearing multiple loud explosions before dawn, according to AFP, while Pakistani authorities described the operation as a series of “counter strikes” in response to what they called unprovoked Afghan attacks.
Taliban says it responded with a major cross-border assault
A spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban initially wrote on X that its forces launched renewed attacks on Pakistani military positions along the frontier, though the post was later deleted.
Taliban military spokesman Mawlawi Wahidullah Mohammadi said a “large-scale retaliatory operation” began at around 20:00 local time on Thursday, claiming that Taliban fighters had killed “numerous” Pakistani soldiers and even captured others.
The claims were rejected by Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said there was no significant damage on the Pakistani side and warned that all Taliban aggression would receive an “immediate and effective” response.
Pakistan confirms casualties from overnight attacks
Before launching its strikes, Pakistan reported that two soldiers were killed and three injured when Taliban fighters attacked military outposts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa late Thursday.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described the attack as “unprovoked fire”, prompting Pakistan’s military to retaliate.
Islamabad said the Taliban had “miscalculated” by targeting multiple positions along the border and that Pakistani forces had inflicted heavy casualties on the Afghan side, destroying several posts and equipment.
Previous strikes and rising civilian toll
This escalation follows Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes on Afghan territory earlier in the week, which Islamabad said targeted alleged militant camps responsible for suicide bombings inside Pakistan.
Kabul, however, accused Pakistan of hitting civilian homes and a religious school, alleging that women and children were among the casualties.
The Taliban warned that it would retaliate “at the appropriate time”, setting the stage for the current cross-border fighting.
Border towns evacuated, crossings shut
Residents near the border town of Torkham reported intense exchanges of gunfire. Authorities instructed locals to evacuate, and Pakistan temporarily halted the repatriation of Afghan nationals and shut the border crossing.
The clashes come despite a fragile ceasefire agreement reached in October, intended to ease months of deadly confrontations along the 1,600-mile (2,574 km) frontier.