Tensions have sharply escalated along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as fierce gun battles broke out between Taliban fighters and Pakistani security forces. The violence followed accusations from Afghanistan’s Taliban administration that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes on Afghan soil earlier this week, targeting areas including Kabul and the southeastern provinces. Explosions were reported in several regions, prompting the Taliban’s Defence Ministry to accuse Islamabad of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty through cross-border aggression.

In response, Taliban forces launched retaliatory attacks on multiple Pakistani border posts, triggering intense exchanges of fire along the volatile 2,600-kilometre frontier. Both sides have claimed significant damage against the other: Taliban officials asserted they had seized three Pakistani posts, while Pakistani authorities countered that several Taliban positions were destroyed. Video clips circulating online showed heavy artillery and tracer fire lighting up the night sky as both militaries engaged in combat.

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi confirmed the operation had concluded around midnight but warned that Afghanistan would respond forcefully to any further violations of its airspace. Pakistan, meanwhile, maintains that its actions were in response to unprovoked firing from the Afghan side. With no official confirmation of a ceasefire, the border remains tense amid growing fears that the clashes could further destabilize already fragile relations between the two neighbouring countries.