Pakistani jets near Kabul were reportedly targeted by the Afghan Taliban on Sunday, with explosions and gunfire heard across the city, officials said. The blasts came as the most recent clashes between the two countries entered a fourth day, marking the heaviest cross-border fighting in years and raising fears of a protracted conflict.
Explosions were heard across parts of Kabul before sunrise and were followed by bursts of gunfire, Reuters reported. It was not immediately clear whether the blasts caused casualties. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Kabul residents “should not be concerned” and that “air defense attacks were carried out in Kabul against Pakistani aircraft.”
Pakistan has acknowledged bombing Afghan cities on Friday, including Kabul and Kandahar, where Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based. AFP witnesses said strikes had also hit the Bagram air base area in the southeast, a former US stronghold. Taliban officials increased security in central Kabul on Sunday evening, with more checks on cars, AFP reported.
The Taliban launched an offensive along the 2,600-km border after accusing Pakistan of targeting civilians inside Afghanistan; Pakistan rejected the claim, saying it targeted militants and accusing the Taliban-led regime of sheltering extremists who have attacked Pakistan, an allegation denied by Taliban officials. Diplomatic efforts led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar have so far failed to secure a ceasefire.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif canceled a scheduled visit to Russia amid the fighting; Moscow called on both sides to cease cross-border attacks and pursue diplomacy. Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said Pakistani forces had killed about 415 Taliban fighters and lost 12 soldiers. Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said, by their count, over 80 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 military posts captured.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic