Firefights erupt between Pakistani and Afghan forces along the border

Islamabad: Firefights broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late on Saturday, with the Afghan Taliban attacking Pakistani posts, according to security officials from both countries, following a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul this week.

Pakistani security officials said that they were responding "with full force" to what they called unprovoked firing from Afghanistan. The exchange of fire took place at more than six locations along the border, they said.

The Taliban forces said they captured three Pakistani border posts. Pakistani security officials said their military had destroyed several Afghan posts.

Video footage shared by Pakistani security officials showed gun and artillery firing towards Afghanistan, lighting up the night sky.

Retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes

Enayatullah Khowarazmi, spokesperson for Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, said it was a retaliatory operation for Pakistan's violation of Afghan airspace. He said the attack concluded at midnight local time.

"If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan's airspace, our armed forces are prepared to defend their airspace and will deliver a strong response," Khowarazmi said.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan on whether the clashes had ended. The border runs for 2,600 km (1,615 miles). Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban administration of harbouring militants of the Pakistani Taliban who attack Pakistan, with the support of Pakistan's adversary, India. New Delhi denies the charge, while the Taliban say that they do not allow their territory to be used against other countries.

A Pakistani security official had told Reuters this week that the airstrike had targeted the leader of the Pakistani Taliban militant group in Kabul, travelling in a vehicle. It was unclear if he had survived. Islamabad had warned Kabul that its patience had run out.

The Taliban administration's foreign minister visited India this week, the first such trip by a senior Taliban official since the group seized power in 2021, and the two sides agreed to upgrade ties. That visit raised further concerns in Pakistan. There has been an upsurge in attacks by militants in Pakistan since the Taliban came to power.