Taliban and Pakistani forces have exchanged fire across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, prompting calls for restraint from Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as tensions escalate following an air strike on the Afghan capital, Kabul, earlier this week.
Enayatullah Khwarizmi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, said late on Saturday that Taliban forces had carried out “successful retaliatory” attacks against Pakistani soldiers in response to the neighbouring country’s “repeated violations” of, and air strikes on, Afghan territory.
He said on X that the operation had ended at midnight.
Pakistani Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked” and said that Pakistani forces were responding “with a stone for every brick”.
“Firing by Afghan forces on civilian population is a blatant violation of international laws. Pakistan’s brave forces have given a prompt and effective response that no provocation will be tolerated,” he said in a post on X.
Radio Pakistan, citing security sources, said the Afghan attacks took place at some six locations along the border.
It said the attacks prompted a “strong, intense response” from the Pakistan Army, and shared video footage of gun and artillery fire that lit up the night sky.
It did not say whether the clashes had ended.
