Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate border conflict with air strikes and clashes
Pakistan carried out air strikes on Thursday targeting what it described as terrorist sites in Afghanistan, followed by fierce fighting on Friday that killed at least 13 Afghan personnel. Afghanistan's government denied Pakistani claims that it had launched drones across the border, and both countries blamed each other for aggression. The escalation marks the worst fighting in months and threatens peace efforts by regional mediators.
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Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified significantly this week. Pakistani security sources reported that at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in exchanges of fire in the Gulistan border area on Friday. The Pakistani military described these clashes as a response to attempted Afghan aggression, though neither government has officially confirmed the casualty figures.
The violence followed Pakistani air strikes on Thursday against ten sites across Afghanistan. Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, stated that the strikes were retaliation for a drone incursion into Pakistan the previous day. Pakistan claimed the strikes targeted terrorist hideouts and infrastructure in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces, and at least four people were killed according to reports. Afghanistan's government spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed that strikes hit the three provinces but denied that Kabul had launched any drones against Pakistan.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering armed groups responsible for cross-border attacks, a charge that Taliban officials reject. The Afghan government has pledged an appropriate response to what it calls Pakistani aggression. This escalation represents the worst fighting since clashes first erupted in February and complicates ongoing mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to establish lasting peace between the neighbouring countries.
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