In a declared “open war”, Pakistan launched air strikes overnight in Afghanistan, heavily bombing several major cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and claiming 133 people were killed in what Islamabad described as “strong and effective” retaliation for “unprovoked firing” across the border.The strikes came after Afghanistan announced that it had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers earlier along the Durand Line, the disputed border between the two neighboring countries.The military escalation appears to be pushing both sides away from peace efforts brokered by Qatar between the two Islamist countries, raising uncertainty over the fragile understanding.Several explosions were heard in Kabul and Kandahar, and local residents reported that planes were flying overhead.
Pakistan reportedly used its air force in the strikes, while Afghanistan, a landlocked country, does not have an air force of its own.The Associated Press reported that the Pakistani army carried out air strikes targeting Afghan military facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, destroying two brigade bases. However, potential human casualties were not mentioned.Taliban ammunition facilities also fell within range of the Islamabad attack.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record.Afghanistan said its military launched cross-border attacks on Pakistan late Thursday in response to deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas on Sunday. It claimed to have captured more than ten Pakistani army positions during the operation.The Pakistani government, which described Sunday’s air strikes as targeting militants hiding in the area, described Thursday’s Afghan attack as unprovoked and rejected claims that any army positions had been captured.Officials from both sides spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak to the media officially.UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged restraint, calling on both sides to protect civilians in accordance with international law and “to continue seeking to resolve any differences through diplomacy.”
The Afghan strikes were retaliatory
“In response to repeated mutinies and mutinies of the Pakistani army, large-scale offensive operations have been launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,” Mujahid said in a post on X on Thursday night.
The Afghan Ministry of Defense said that retaliatory strikes occurred along the border across six provinces.The 2,611-kilometre (1,622-mile) border between the two countries is known as the Durand Line, which is not officially recognized by Afghanistan.
Different numbers of victims
The two sides gave completely different casualty figures.The Afghan Ministry of Defense said that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, some of the bodies were transferred to Afghanistan, and “several others were captured alive.”
It reported that eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded. The ministry said it destroyed 19 Pakistani army positions and two bases, adding that the fighting ended at midnight, about four hours after the attack began.But Pakistani Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said that two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three others were wounded. He added that 36 Afghan fighters were killed. In a post on X, he said Pakistan was providing a “strong and effective response” to what he called unprovoked firing from Afghanistan.Musharraf Ali al-Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldier had been captured. He later said in another post on X that at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded, claiming that 27 Afghan positions had been destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred, but added that there would be “a much higher number of casualties in strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.”
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Refugee camp hit
Both sides also reported an exchange of fire near the Torkham border crossing.Qureshi Badlon, head of the Media and Public Awareness Council in Torkham, said that the Afghan authorities began evacuating a refugee camp near Torkham after a number of refugees were injured. The Ministry of Defense said that 13 civilians, including women and children, were injured in a missile attack on the camp.On the Pakistani side, police said that residents are moving to safer areas.
Afghan refugees who were waiting to cross into Afghanistan were also transferred back. Pakistan has been waging a massive crackdown on migrants since October 2023, expelling hundreds of thousands of people.Pakistani police said that mortar shells fired from Afghanistan fell on nearby villages, but did not announce any civilian casualties.“Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure the integrity of its territory and the safety and security of its citizens,” the Pakistani Ministry of Information said in a post on the X website.The Afghan army published video footage showing military vehicles moving at night, accompanied by the sounds of intense gunfire. The footage could not be independently verified.
Months of stress
Tensions between the two neighbors have remained high for months. Deadly border clashes in October resulted in the deaths of dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan.
In response, Islamabad carried out strikes deep into Afghanistan targeting alleged militant hideouts.The Qatari-brokered ceasefire has largely held, but intermittent firefights have continued. Several rounds of peace talks in November failed to reach a formal agreement.On Sunday, the Pakistani army carried out strikes along the Afghan border, claiming to have killed at least 70 militants.Afghanistan rejected this claim, saying that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed.
The Defense Ministry said “various civilian areas” in eastern Afghanistan were bombed, including a religious school and several homes, and described the strikes as a violation of Afghan airspace and sovereignty.Militant violence has escalated in Pakistan in recent years, and Islamabad attributes most of it to the Pakistani Taliban and banned Baloch separatist groups. Although the Pakistani Taliban is separate from the Afghan Taliban, it is closely allied with them. Pakistan accuses the Pakistani Taliban of operating from Afghan territory, which the movement and Kabul have denied.
