KABUL, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Pakistani and Afghan border forces clashed on Thursday evening after the Taliban launched what it known as retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, sharply escalating tensions after days of cross-border hostilities.
Afghan forces opened fireplace on posts in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, sparking greater than two hours of combating earlier than Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officers mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity as they weren’t authorised to talk to the media.
Each Islamabad and the Taliban administration mentioned that they had destroyed or seized opposing posts alongside the frontier, claims that Reuters couldn’t independently confirm.
Movies shared by Afghan safety forces confirmed Humvees driving by way of darkish, mountainous terrain at evening, lit by flashes of gunfire. Sustained bursts of computerized fireplace may very well be heard within the background.
Separate footage launched by Pakistani safety sources appeared to indicate tracer rounds arcing throughout an analogous barren, mountainous panorama, with sustained bursts of computerized fireplace echoing by way of the valleys.
Reuters was not instantly in a position to independently confirm the situation, timing or authenticity of the footage.
Pakistan was responding to “unprovoked fireplace” by Afghan forces at a number of areas alongside the border, the Info Ministry in Islamabad mentioned in a put up on X.
It mentioned troops delivered an “rapid and efficient response”, inflicting casualties and destroying a number of posts and gear, including that Pakistan would take all crucial measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and residents.
RETALIATION AFTER AIRSTRIKES
The clashes alongside the two,600-km (1,615-mile) are the most recent flare-up to threaten a fragile ceasefire following lethal clashes final October.
Earlier this week, the Taliban warned it could make an “acceptable and measured response” to airstrikes launched by Pakistan over the weekend on what Islamabad mentioned had been camps of militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State in Khorasan Province in jap Afghanistan.
Islamabad says TTP leaders function from Afghan territory and use it as a protected haven to plan assaults inside Pakistan, a cost Kabul denies.
“In response to repeated provocations, large-scale offensive operations have been launched towards Pakistani army positions alongside the Durand Line,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid mentioned in a put up on X, including in a separate assertion that “specialised laser items” had been working at evening.
Mujahid mentioned about 40 Pakistani troopers had been killed in Kunar, whereas Pakistani safety sources mentioned 22 Taliban personnel had been killed and several other quadcopters shot down. Reuters couldn’t independently confirm both facet’s claims.
He warned that if Pakistan attacked Kabul or main cities, Afghanistan would “goal their key centres and vital cities”, saying the Taliban was not looking for to broaden the combating however would retaliate.
The Pakistani prime minister’s spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi instructed Reuters in a textual content message: “As of 2320 (1820 GMT) hrs not solely had been no Pakistani posts captured or broken”, however Pakistani forces had inflicted “heavy losses” throughout the border in response to what he described as “unprovoked Taliban aggression”.
“All aggression will get the identical response: rapid and efficient,” he added.
Pakistan mentioned it was boosting safety nationwide this week, putting forces on “excessive alert” and accelerating intelligence-based operations, arresting dozens of suspected militants, their handlers and facilitators, together with Afghan nationals.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Sayed Hassib in Kabul, and Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar; writing by Ariba Shahid; Enhancing by Hugh Lawson and Andrew Heavens)
