Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen again after Pakistan launched attacks on Kabul and Kandahar early Friday morning, according to government officials in Islamabad.
Residents in Kabul reported hearing several loud explosions across the city, marking a significant escalation in the cross-border conflict that had been in a fragile ceasefire since October.
A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban said they had launched a counterattack on Pakistani military positions along the shared border. Although the statement was later deleted, both sides continued to confirm that fighting had taken place.
The Pakistani government said the attack on the Afghan city was in response to what it said was an unprovoked Afghan attack. The Taliban, on the other hand, claimed their actions were in response to previous Pakistani military operations.
According to Islamabad, two of its soldiers were killed and three others were wounded after the Taliban launched an operation against Pakistani military positions late Thursday in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan said its forces responded to the unprovoked fire.
The Taliban said they were launching a large-scale operation in response to an attack earlier this week that killed at least 18 people. Islamabad insisted that their targets were militant camps and hideouts.
A Taliban military spokesman claimed that the revenge operation had caused heavy losses on the Pakistani side, including the deaths of soldiers and the capture of several checkpoints.
The Pakistani side denied the claim, insisting that no military posts had been captured and that all allegations of major damage were untrue.
The Pakistani government also warned that any aggression would receive a prompt and effective response to ensure the integrity of the territory and the safety of its citizens.
In the border area, residents reported the sound of heavy gunfire and were asked to move to safer locations. In the border town of Torkham, authorities ordered the evacuation of certain areas due to increased security risks.
The repatriation of deported Afghans was also temporarily suspended, while the border crossing was closed to Afghan refugees.
The situation shows that the ceasefire agreed in October is becoming increasingly fragile. The resurgence of cross-border fighting has the potential to undermine regional stability and increase security risks in South Asia in the near term.
