Renewed clashes on Afghanistan-Pakistan border
The Taliban said Afghanistan had attacked Pakistani military positions along the border in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes, raising fears of a renewed escalation in violence between the neighbours.
Videos shared by Afghan security forces show Humvees driving through dark, mountainous terrain at night amid gunfire. Continuous bursts of automatic fire could be heard in the background.
Reuters could not independently verify the location, timing or authenticity of the images.
Pakistan responded to “unprovoked fire” from Afghan forces along the border, Islamabad’s Ministry of Information said on Thursday.
Afghan forces opened fire on positions in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, sparking a firefight for more than two hours before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Pakistan’s information ministry wrote in
The fighting along the 2,600-kilometre border, known as the Durand Line, is the latest flare-up threatening a fragile ceasefire following deadly clashes in October.
The ceasefire between the two countries, brokered by Qatar, has largely continued, but the two sides still occasionally exchange fire across the border. Several rounds of peace talks in November failed to reach a formal agreement.
On Sunday, the Pakistani army carried out attacks along the Afghan border, killing at least 70 militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State in Khorasan Province in eastern Afghanistan.
Afghanistan denied the claim, saying dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed. The Defense Ministry said “several civilian areas” in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrasa and several homes. The ministry said the attacks were a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.
Islamabad says TTP leaders are operating on Afghan soil and using it as a safe haven to plan attacks on Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
“In response to repeated provocations and violations by Pakistani military circles, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military positions and facilities along the Durand Line,” Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan Taliban leadership, said in a post on channel X. he said.
“Special laser units that will take advantage of the darkness of the night have also started operations along the Durand Line,” Mujahid said in a separate statement.
Pakistan this week said it had stepped up security across the country, put its forces on “high alert” and stepped up intelligence-based operations, arresting dozens of suspected militants, including Afghan nationals, and their handlers and facilitators.
with AP
