Afghan forces launched anti-aircraft fire at Pakistani jets over the capital early Sunday morning, marking a sharp escalation in a border conflict that threatens to destabilise the broader region.
The Taliban-led administration initiated the defence after a week of Pakistani air strikes targeted government positions following Islamabad’s accusations which Kabul denies that Afghanistan harbours militants, reports Reuters.
Kabul residents reported hearing heavy explosions and sustained gunfire echoing across the city before dawn. Confirming the military response, Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, “Air defence attacks were carried out in Kabul against Pakistani aircraft. Kabul residents should not be concerned.”
Currently, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office, the military, and the information ministry have not issued a formal response to the morning’s engagement.
This latest flare-up follows a series of Pakistani strikes earlier this week aimed at what Islamabad calls “militant infrastructure”. Pakistan claims that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) uses Afghan soil to coordinate an insurgency inside its borders. Afghanistan has flatly rejected these claims, asserting that it does not permit its territory to be used against foreign nations and labelling Pakistan’s security troubles an internal matter.
Describing the strikes as a “violation of sovereignty,” Kabul has since launched retaliatory operations along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier,.
The conflict has already resulted in significant casualties on both sides, though specific figures remain disputed. Pakistani security sources confirmed that an operation titled “Ghazab Lil Haq” (Wrath for the Truth) is currently underway, claiming they have successfully destroyed several Afghan border posts and camps.
The rhetoric from both nations has turned increasingly combative. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif described the current state of hostilities as “open war”. Meanwhile, Afghanistan Interior Minister
Sirajuddin Haqqani cautioned that the confrontation would be “very costly,” adding that Kabul has only engaged front-line units and has yet to fully mobilise its military forces.
This surge in violence occurs amidst a volatile regional backdrop, following US–Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks against American targets in the Gulf. While the United States has expressed support for
Pakistan’s right to self-defence, the international community is growing increasingly concerned,. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, China, the European Union, and the United Nations have all called for immediate restraint, with some nations offering to mediate a ceasefire to prevent a protracted war.
