Smoke goes up after a shell exploded in a border area during clashes between Pakistan and Afghan forces, as seen from Pakistan side of the border near Chaman, Pakistan. (AP Photo) Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have sharply escalated after the deadliest exchange of fire in years, sparking fears of a wider conflict, CNN reported. The clashes followed strikes last Thursday in Kabul and the border province of Paktika that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan.
Islamabad has not confirmed responsibility for the attacks, but Pakistani military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said there is “evidence” Afghanistan is being used as a “base of operations for carrying out terrorism in Pakistan”.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Pakistani and Afghan forces also clashed on Tuesday in a remote area along their northwestern border. Tahir Ahrar, deputy police spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the border clashes but did not share further details. It marked the second exchange of fire between the two sides this week.
Pakistan has long accused Kabul of harbouring the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a charge the Taliban denies.
In response to last week’s assault, the Taliban launched retaliatory strikes near the Kunar and Nangarhar border areas, claiming to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan called the assault “unprovoked” and said its own counter-strikes killed more than 200 Taliban fighters, figures CNN said it could not independently verify.
The Taliban said it halted operations around midnight after mediation from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Taliban Foreign Minister visits India
The violence coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India.
India announced plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul, calling Muttaqi’s trip “an important step in advancing our ties and affirming the enduring friendship” between the two countries.
Amid the tensions, reactions have poured in from other countries. China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have all urged restraint and dialogue. Qatar warned of “potential repercussions for regional stability” while Saudi Arabia called for “restraint and dialogue”. China said it “sincerely hopes both countries will focus on the bigger picture”, and Russia stressed a diplomatic resolution.
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US President Donald Trump also offered to mediate, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: “I hear there’s a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I’m good at solving wars, I’m good at making peace.”
Citing experts, CNN reported that the current state may be temporary.
“In the past, cyclical bouts of armed tensions typically have receded once both sides have made their point,” Antoine Levesques, Senior Fellow for South and Central Asian Defense, Strategy and Diplomacy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies told CNN. But Pearl Pandya, Senior Analyst, South Asia for ACLED, warned that if Pakistan’s alleged airstrikes in Kabul are confirmed, they would “cross a red line” in bilateral relations.
