Afghanistan’s Taliban announced that it carried out strikes on targets along the Pakistan border, injuring several people in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s military confirmed it shot down four rudimentary drones in the area and warned that any further provocation would lead to a ‘befitting’ response. The BBC was unable to independently verify the attack.
The clashes come after Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghanistan on Sunday that left 28 civilians dead, according to the United Nations. Both sides since then have accused each other of targeting civilians during operations.
Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said a ground operation along the border had killed 29 militants and that Pakistani air strikes targeted militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Taliban government described the Pakistani attack as a ‘cowardly act’ and an ‘atrocity’ that killed civilians and injured hundreds.
The region has seen intermittent border clashes and air strikes in recent months, with officials in both countries reporting dozens of deaths. In February, cross-border fighting left dozens dead, and in March a Pakistani strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre killed hundreds. Earlier in June, another deadly air strike by Pakistan killed 26 militants, prompting the Taliban to claim 13, mostly children, were also killed.
The fragile ceasefire that was agreed in October is strained as tensions mount, and observers warn that further escalation could have dire consequences for both communities and the broader region. Why are Afghanistan and Pakistan fighting? (BBC)
