⭕️ Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange heavy cross-border fire amid airstrike accusations and rising tensions

 ⭕️ Afghanistan and Pakistan exchange heavy cross-border fire amid airstrike accusations and rising tensions

Heavy clashes have erupted along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border as both armies exchanged artillery and gunfire across multiple eastern provinces, including Khost, Nangarhar, Paktika, Paktia and Kunar. The escalation follows accusations by the Taliban-led Afghan administration that Pakistani forces violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market in Paktika’s Margha region on Thursday night.

Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied the strikes but vowed to protect its citizens amid a surge in Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) attacks, which it claims are launched from Afghan soil. Kabul said its forces launched “successful retaliatory operations” against Pakistani outposts along the Durand Line, accusing Pakistan of repeated airspace violations. Pakistani officials accused Afghan border forces of initiating the latest round of firing.

Tensions spiked further as Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the “unprovoked firing” and called it a “blatant violation of international law,” vowing a “befitting response.” The flare-up coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s trip to India, where he met with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and issued a joint statement that Islamabad later denounced for referring to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

The clashes and diplomatic friction come against the backdrop of Pakistan’s accusations that the Taliban shelters TTP militants, which Kabul denies. Casualty numbers remain unclear, but videos on social media show intense artillery fire along the border.

(TRT World)