KABUL/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan bombed Taliban government forces in Afghanistan’s major cities overnight, the first time it has directly targeted its former allies, and described the situation as “open war”, raising tensions in a volatile, nuclear-armed region.
The Pakistani strikes hit the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based. It was the first time Islamabad has attacked the Taliban rather than militants allegedly backed by them, a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbours.
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in Kabul, Kandahar as well as Paktia province. There were ground clashes in multiple sectors along the border between the Islamic nations.
The Taliban said it launched what it described as retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military installations.
“Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan),” Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.
Both sides reported heavy losses, issuing sharply differing figures that Reuters could not independently verify.
The strikes threaten to unleash a protracted conflict along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier with relations between Kabul and Islamabad shattered by a long-running dispute over Pakistan’s accusation that Afghanistan harbours militants carrying out attacks across the border.
The Taliban have denied the charge and said Pakistan’s security is an internal problem.
Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in 2021.
Russia, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia were trying to mediate, diplomats and news reports said.–Reuters
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