Pakistan and Afghanistan traded airstrikes across their volatile border on Tuesday, killing dozens in a flare-up of long-simmering tensions over militant sanctuaries, with each side accusing the other of harbouring terrorists and violating sovereignty.
The clashes began when Pakistani fighter jets targeted suspected hideouts of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika and Khost provinces, Pakistani officials said, in retaliation for a surge in attacks on Pakistani security forces.
Afghan Taliban forces responded with strikes on Pakistani border posts, escalating the conflict that has claimed at least 45 lives, including civilians, according to local reports.
Pakistan’s defence ministry confirmed the operation, stating: “These strikes were intelligence-based and targeted terrorist hideouts. We acted in self-defence to protect our citizens from cross-border terrorism.”
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the incursion as “barbaric,” vowing retaliation. “Pakistan’s reckless actions have violated Afghanistan’s sovereignty and resulted in the martyrdom of innocent civilians, including women and children,” he said. “We will defend our territory with full force.”
The United Nations and regional powers expressed alarm, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging restraint: “Both sides must de-escalate immediately to prevent further loss of life and regional instability.”
Casualty figures remain disputed: Afghan officials reported 47 dead in the Pakistani raids, while Pakistan claimed eight soldiers killed in the counterstrikes.
The border, known as the Durand Line, has long been a flashpoint, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of sheltering TTP militants responsible for over 2,000 deaths in Pakistan since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.
No immediate ceasefire was in sight, as both militaries bolstered positions along the frontier.
