Intense clashes involving cross-border shelling and the use of tanks and heavy artillery have erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border (Durand Line).
The fighting escalated after Afghanistan's interim Taliban administration accused the Pakistani military of violating its airspace and conducting airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika province on Thursday. Pakistan has not officially claimed the strikes but has repeatedly called on Kabul to stop harbouring the anti-Pakistan militant group, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed their forces launched "successful retaliatory operations" using heavy weapons against Pakistani border outposts, claiming to have inflicted significant casualties and captured posts. They warned of a decisive response to any future violation of Afghan territory.
Pakistani security sources confirmed the exchange of heavy fire across various border provinces and said their forces retaliated forcefully with artillery, tanks, and light and heavy weaponry, targeting Afghan posts. Pakistan has also closed its main border crossings, Torkham and Chaman.
The underlying tension remains Pakistan's accusation that the TTP, which has intensified attacks inside Pakistan, is operating from Afghan soil—a charge Kabul denies.
The flare-up coincided with a high-level visit by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister to India, a development Pakistan views with suspicion. International actors like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Qatar have urged both sides to exercise restraint.
Source: Al Jazeera, The Guardian
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