PAKISTAN CONDUCTS AIRSTRIKES INSIDE AFGHANISTAN AS BORDER CLASHES CONTINUE. (PHOTO).

 Pakistan conducts airstrikes inside Afghanistan as border clashes continue

 Pakistan’s military, supported by artillery and airstrikes, launched attacks on military installations deep inside Afghanistan overnight into early Saturday, escalating border fighting after Islamabad declared it was in “open war” with its eastern neighbor. Pakistan claimed more than 300 Afghan forces were killed in response to a broad Afghan cross-border assault that began Thursday night, though Afghanistan denied the figures, saying only civilians were targeted and killed. Independent verification of casualties from either side was not available.

The conflict followed Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan the previous Sunday, which Islamabad said targeted the outlawed Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a group linked to Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban. Afghan officials rejected this, saying civilians were struck. After the cross-border attack, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared that “patience has run out” and labeled the situation as open war. Pakistani officials reported destroying 102 Afghan posts, capturing 22, and eliminating 163 tanks and armored vehicles, while claiming over 500 Afghan soldiers were wounded. Afghanistan, however, accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas in multiple provinces, including refugee camps near Torkham, reporting at least 52 civilian deaths and 66 injuries.

The United Nations confirmed Pakistani strikes hit major Afghan cities, raising fears for civilians already living under Taliban rule. Afghan officials said their own strikes on Pakistani bases in Miranshah and Spin Wam caused heavy casualties and destroyed military installations. Pakistani authorities reported civilian evacuations near the Torkham border and deportations of Afghan refugees. Both sides have accused each other of aggression, with Pakistan claiming Afghanistan harbors the TTP and Afghanistan asserting Pakistan attacks civilian areas. The border region has been tense since October, with intermittent clashes despite ceasefires mediated by Qatar. International efforts by countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and China are underway to ease the conflict, though violence has surged again in recent days.