A spate of violence on the border between the two countries adds to rising tensions after Kabul accused Islamabad of air raids<\/p>\n
Heavy fighting erupted on Saturday along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, officials from both sides have confirmed, after mutual accusations of airspace violations and attacks.\u00a0
\nAfghanistan\u2019s Defense Ministry said its forces launched \u201csuccessful retaliatory operations\u201d against Pakistani security positions \u201calong the Durand Line\u201d in response to what it described as repeated Pakistani air raids. The statement, posted on X by spokesman Enayat Khowarazm, added that \u201cthe operation concluded\u201d at around midnight.\u00a0
\nA Pakistani provincial official, Jan Achakzai, confirmed that fighting had taken place, writing on X that Pakistani forces had \u201cdelivered a strong response to Afghan aggression.\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201cAfghan forces launched unprovoked attacks on five to six locations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, targeting Pakistani posts,\u201d he stated. The Pakistani army\u2019s response \u201cwas so intense that Afghan attackers were forced to retreat, leaving behind their casualties,\u201d he claimed. He added that \u201cPakistan\u2019s borders are secure\u2026 the Afghan government should remember that Pakistan\u2019s desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Neither side has released information about casualties, and it is currently not possible to independently verify the claims.\u00a0
\nThe incident follows explosions on Thursday in Kabul, which Afghan officials blamed on Pakistani air strikes. Islamabad has not confirmed carrying out any cross-border attacks.\u00a0
\nThe recent escalation in tensions between the two neighbors has been attributed to border security and militant activity. Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters, allegations that the Taliban administration rejects.\u00a0
\nThe fighting comes as Afghanistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visits India for talks aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with New Delhi. Afghan officials have said the trip is part of efforts to expand regional cooperation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A spate of violence on the border between the two countries adds to rising tensions after Kabul accused Islamabad of air raids Heavy fighting erupted on Saturday along the Afghanistan-Pakistan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t