Islamabad/Kabul, Feb. 28 — Pakistan carried out overnight strikes inside Afghanistan’s major cities as border hostilities sharply escalated, according to officials from both sides. The latest exchange marks one of the most serious flare ups in months between the two neighbours.
Pakistani security sources said the operation involved coordinated air and ground assaults targeting Taliban positions, headquarters and ammunition depots across multiple sectors along the frontier.
The Taliban confirmed that airstrikes struck areas in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia. Heavy explosions were reported in the Afghan capital, with witnesses describing the sound of sirens and emergency response vehicles through the night.
Both governments released sharply different casualty figures that could not be independently verified. A Pakistani spokesperson described the action as retaliation for what were termed “unprovoked Afghan attacks.” Taliban officials, meanwhile, said their forces had launched counter-operations against Pakistani military installations following earlier strikes this week.
The violence threatens a fragile ceasefire along the 2,600-kilometre border and further strains relations already tense over Islamabad’s accusations that Kabul is sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants an allegation the Taliban administration has repeatedly denied.
Earlier in the week, Pakistan had announced airstrikes targeting suspected TTP and Islamic State camps in eastern Afghanistan. Kabul rejected the claims and warned it would respond.
The renewed clashes underscore deepening mistrust between the two countries and raise concerns about broader instability along one of the region’s most volatile frontiers.