Kabul, Afghanistan. Pakistan carried out overnight air and ground strikes on Taliban government targets in Afghanistan’s major cities, officials from both countries said on Friday. Pakistan’s defence minister described the conflict as “open war”.
Strikes reported in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air and ground attacks against Taliban posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in multiple sectors along the border.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces carried out air strikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
Video shared by Pakistani security officials showed flashes of light in the night from firing along the border and the sound of heavy artillery. A video of strikes on Kabul showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from two sites and a massive blaze in part of the capital.
Another video showed a building on fire, which the officials said was a Taliban headquarters in Paktia province.
Reuters witnesses in Kabul said many ambulance sirens could be heard following loud blasts and the sound of jets.
Officials cite heavy losses and conflicting accounts
Both sides reported heavy losses, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.
“Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan),” Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.
Border dispute and competing claims
The strikes raised the risk of a protracted conflict along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier after a long-running dispute over Islamabad’s accusation that Kabul harbours militants carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban have denied the charge and said Pakistan’s security is an internal problem.
“Pakistani counter-strikes against targets in Afghanistan continue,” Pakistani government spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi said in a post on X, describing the action as a response to “unprovoked Afghan attacks.”
What do you think the latest strikes could mean for stability along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border?