Afghanistan launches military strikes on Pakistan in retaliation for earlier airstrikes

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s military said Thursday it had captured several Pakistani army posts in strikes against its neighbor to retaliate for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas earlier in the week — the latest escalation of violence between the volatile neighbors.

A statement issued by the media office of Afghanistan’s military corps in the east said “heavy clashes” had begun Thursday night “in response to the recent airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces” in eastern Afghanistan.

There was no immediate information on casualties and no immediate response from Pakistan’s military to the announcement.

“In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,” Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X Thursday night.

The two countries’ 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) long border is known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has not formally recognized.

Gradual warming trend next week

Snow squall watch in effect; March not coming in like a lion this year

12m ago

Crime prevention

Prince Albert police report spike in vehicle thefts

1h ago

Box cutter weapon

Man charged with aggravated assault that occurred in Cornerstone area

1h ago

Mujahid said at least five Pakistani army posts had been captured, while a short while later the information directorate of Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province said Afghan forces had captured a total of 17 Pakistani military posts.

Pakistani local authorities and two senior security officials said Pakistani forces deployed along the Afghan border in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were responding to “unprovoked fire” by targeting the Afghan positions from which the artillery fire originated.

According to Pakistani local administration officials, the exchange of fire began in the Khyber district along the border and later spread to at least four other districts.

Tension has been high between the two neighbors for months, with deadly border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad, at the time, conducted strikes deep inside Afghanistan to target militant hideouts.

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire between the two countries has largely held, but the two sides have still occasionally traded fire across the border. Several rounds of peace talks in November failed to produce a formal agreement.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s military carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan, saying it had killed at least 70 militants.

Afghanistan rejected the claim, saying dozens of civilians had been killed, including women and children. The Defense Ministry said “various civilian areas” in eastern Afghanistan had been hit, including a religious madrassa and several homes. The ministry said the strikes were a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.

___

Munir Ahmad in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Elena Becatoros from Athens, Greece contributed

Abdul Qahar Afghan, The Associated Press