Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply escalated after Pakistan’s military carried out air strikes in several Afghan locations, including Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia Province.
Afghan authorities said the strikes hit “certain areas,” with large explosions reported in central Kabul around 2:30 a.m. local time. An Afghan government spokesperson stated there were no confirmed casualties from the attacks.
However, Pakistan presented a very different account. According to Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistani counterstrikes killed 133 Afghan soldiers and wounded more than 200. He also claimed that 27 Afghan military posts, two corps headquarters, and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed. Pakistani security sources said an ammunition depot and a logistics base were hit in Kandahar.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said it carried out retaliatory operations targeting Pakistani positions along the Durand Line — the disputed border between the two countries — and that those operations ended at midnight. Earlier clashes reportedly left eight Afghan soldiers and two Pakistani soldiers dead during a four-hour border battle.
The latest violence follows Pakistani air strikes last week that Islamabad said killed 70 “terrorists.” The United Nations, however, reported civilian casualties from those earlier attacks.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed concern and urged both sides to respect international law and seek a diplomatic solution.
Relations between the two neighbours have worsened in recent months, with Pakistan accusing militants of operating from Afghan territory — a claim that Kabul strongly denies.
SOURCE: TRT WORLD
