Explosions are heard in Kabul just hours after Afghanistan launched attacks on Pakistan in latest escalation of violence
Multiple explosions have rocked Kabul hours after The Taliban launched an attack on the border, in the latest escalation of violence.
At least three blasts were heard in Afghanistan’s capital in the early hours of Friday, with dramatic footage broadcast by Pakistani news apparently showing major airstrikes.
Unconfirmed footage posted to social media also showed enormous fireballs erupting into the sky.
There was no immediate information on the exact location of the explosions in the Afghan capital, nor of any potential casualties.
The bombardment appears to be Pakistan’s direct response to a Taliban raid on the border on Thursday, in which Pakistan said two of its soldiers were killed while responding to ‘unprovoked fire’.
Both sides claimed to have inflicted significant losses, with The Taliban reporting to have captured 13 border outposts, killed as many as 55 soldiers, and also captured a number of troops.
Pakistan refuted that any border posts had been seized or soldiers captured, reporting three casualties on top of the two deaths, per Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
Unconfirmed footage appears to show large explosions on the Afghanistan skyline
Afghan Taliban fighters patrol near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Thursday, which saw cross-border fighting
The Taliban, which controls the whole of Afghanistan since Western troops pulled out in 2020, said it had launched the ‘large-scale’ operation in response to strikes earlier this week.
‘In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,’ Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X Thursday night.
Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, said the strikes in the week targeted alleged militant camps and hideouts.
Fighting also broke out in a separate part of the border on Thursday, with both sides reporting exchanges of fire in the Torkham region.
Afghan authorities have been evacuating a refugee camp near the Torkham border crossing after several refugees were wounded, local officials said.
On the Pakistani side, police said residents were also evacuating to safer areas, while some Afghan refugees who had been waiting to cross back into Afghanistan were also moved to secure locations.
Tensions and violence have been growing over the shared 1,622-mile border, known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has not formally recognized.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
