Tensions have flared again between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as heavy fighting broke out along the border on Saturday night (October 11). Afghan border guards reportedly launched attacks on Pakistani forces using heavy weapons, prompting retaliatory fire from the Pakistani side.
According to The Hindu, the incident followed an airstrike by the Pakistani Air Force in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, on Friday night. Islamabad claimed the strike targeted Noor Wali Mehsud, the chief of the militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The attack has since sharply escalated hostilities between the two neighboring nations.
The Afghan military said its forces were responding to the Pakistani airstrike with counterattacks in the eastern regions. In an official statement, the Taliban’s border guards confirmed they were engaged in intense clashes with Pakistani troops across several frontier areas.
Videos circulating on social media show convoys of Afghan military vehicles moving toward the Pakistan border.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s interim government accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty. The Afghan Defense Minister stated that Pakistan had breached Kabul’s airspace and bombed a marketplace in the Margha region of Paktika province. The Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the incident as an “unprecedented, violent, and reprehensible act” in the history of Afghan-Pakistani relations.
Notably, on Thursday night, loud explosions and gunfire were heard in Kabul. Later reports suggested the airstrike targeted TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud. However, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid denied the claim, saying, “The TTP chief was not present in Kabul.”