Pakistan has declared it is in “open war” with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities after launching air strikes on Kabul and other cities, according to the latest updates reported by Reuters.
Explosions were heard in the Afghan capital and in Kandahar as Pakistani jets targeted what Islamabad described as military infrastructure. The escalation follows renewed fighting along the Durand Line, the disputed border between the two countries.
A Pakistani military spokesperson said 228 Taliban fighters were killed and 314 injured, with 74 Taliban posts destroyed and 18 captured. Pakistan also reported 27 people injured on its side.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had put the Taliban death toll at 133, with more than 200 wounded, and said two Pakistani security personnel were killed.
The Taliban government, however, said eight of its fighters were killed and 11 wounded. It also claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and that Afghan forces captured two military bases and 19 posts during cross-border clashes.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said its forces carried out “large-scale offensive operations” against Pakistani positions along the border and that fighting lasted about four hours before being halted at midnight local time.
The sharp escalation comes months after a ceasefire agreed in Doha last October. With both sides trading accusations and sharply different casualty claims, it remains unclear whether the confrontation will stabilise or intensify further.
Source: Reuters