Taliban, Pakistani forces trade heavy fire along Afghanistan border

Clashes travel arsenic tensions escalate implicit an aerial onslaught connected Kabul that the Taliban blames connected Islamabad.

Taliban and Pakistani forces person exchanged occurrence crossed the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, prompting calls for restraint from Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, arsenic tensions escalate pursuing an aerial onslaught connected the Afghan capital, Kabul, earlier this week.

Enayatullah Khwarizmi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, said precocious connected Saturday that Taliban forces had carried retired “successful retaliatory” attacks against Pakistani soldiers successful effect to the neighbouring country’s “repeated violations” of, and aerial strikes on, Afghan territory.

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He said connected X that the cognition had ended astatine midnight.

Pakistani Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked” and said that Pakistani forces were responding “with a chromatic for each brick”.

“Firing by Afghan forces connected civilian colonisation is simply a blatant usurpation of planetary laws. Pakistan’s brave forces person fixed a punctual and effectual effect that nary provocation volition beryllium tolerated,” helium said successful a station connected X.

Radio Pakistan, citing information sources, said the Afghan attacks took spot astatine immoderate six locations on the border.

It said the attacks prompted a “strong, aggravated response” from the Pakistan Army, and shared video footage of weapon and artillery occurrence that lit up the nighttime sky.

It did not accidental whether the clashes had ended.

The warring comes days aft explosions rocked the Afghan capital, Kabul, successful an aerial onslaught that the Taliban blamed connected Pakistan.

Islamabad did not assertion work for Thursday’s attacks.

However, it accused the Afghan Taliban medication of harbouring fighters of the Pakistani Taliban who onslaught Pakistan, with the enactment of its adversary, India.

New Delhi denies the charge, portion the Taliban says it does not let its territory to beryllium utilized against different countries.

The escalating tensions person prompted determination concern.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi called connected his country’s 2 neighbours “to workout restraint”.

“Our presumption is that some sides indispensable workout restraint,” Araghchi said during a unrecorded interrogation with authorities television, according to the AFP quality agency, adding that “stability” betwixt the countries “contributes to determination stability”.

Qatar expressed “deep concern” implicit the tensions and the “potential tensions these whitethorn person connected the information and stableness of the region”.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs besides urged “both sides to prioritise dialog and diplomacy, workout restraint, and enactment to incorporate the disputes successful a mode that helps trim tension, avoids escalation, and contributes to determination bid and stability”.

Saudi Arabia, too, expressed concern.

“The kingdom calls for restraint, avoiding escalation, and embracing dialog and contented to lend to reducing tensions and maintaining information and stableness successful the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

“The kingdom affirms its enactment for each determination and planetary efforts aimed astatine promoting bid and stability, and its continued committedness to ensuring security, which volition execute stableness and prosperity for the brotherly Pakistani and Afghan peoples,” it added.