Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated dramatically this week, with both sides trading attacks along their shared border. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared Friday that the countries are now in “open war.”
The latest flare-up began late Thursday when Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas the previous Sunday. Pakistan responded early Friday with airstrikes targeting Kabul and two other Afghan provinces.
Historically, tensions have been high between the neighbors. Border clashes in October killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militant groups that stage attacks across the border and of aligning with India reported ongoing fighting in Nangarhar Province near the Torkham border crossing. Pakistani mortar fire reportedly hit civilian areas, including an evacuated refugee camp, while Afghanistan targeted Pakistani army posts across the border. There was no immediate response from Afghan officials to Pakistan’s declaration of “open war.”
SOURCE : AP NEWS
