Blasts and gunfire rock Kabul as Afghanistan-Pakistan clashes escalate

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Kabul: Loud blasts and gunfire were heard across Kabul early Sunday as fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified for a fourth consecutive day, signalling one of the sharpest escalations between the two neighbours in years.

Explosions echoed across parts of the city before sunrise, followed by bursts of gunfire. It was not immediately clear what sites were hit or whether there were casualties.

Taliban administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the sounds were the result of Afghan forces engaging Pakistani aircraft over the capital.

“Air defence attacks were carried out in Kabul against Pakistani aircraft. Kabul residents should not be concerned,” he said.

The latest violence comes just days after the Taliban authorities said they remained open to dialogue, even as relations with Pakistan spiralled into what Taliban officials described as an “open war” following Pakistani airstrikes on multiple Afghan cities.

Mujahid said Pakistan carried out strikes in Kabul and in Kandahar, the Taliban’s traditional stronghold, as well as in several other locations. He said the attacks marked Pakistan’s first direct strikes against Afghanistan’s current leadership, accusing Kabul of sheltering militants seeking to destabilise Pakistan an allegation the Taliban have repeatedly denied.

Mujahid said civilians were among those affected in the strikes, though he did not provide casualty figures. Witnesses in Kabul reported thick black smoke rising from at least two locations, while verified video footage showed large fires following the explosions. Ambulance sirens were heard across the city, along with the sound of aircraft overhead.

Pakistani security sources said the operation involved air-to-ground missile strikes on Taliban military offices and installations, describing the action as retaliation for Afghan attacks launched a day earlier.

The escalation follows Pakistani strikes on Afghan territory last weekend, which were followed by Afghan drone attacks on Pakistani military positions along the shared border on Thursday. The exchange has sharply intensified long-running tensions centred on Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan provides sanctuary to Pakistani Taliban militants.

Reiterating Kabul’s position, Mujahid said the Taliban leadership continued to favour negotiations.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always tried to resolve issues through dialogue, and now also we want to resolve this matter through dialogue,” he said.

According to Taliban officials, Pakistani strikes hit areas in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia on Thursday night, followed by further attacks in Paktika, Khost and Laghman on Friday.

Both sides have issued sharply different and independently unverified casualty figures. Pakistani officials said 274 Taliban officials and fighters were killed, while Afghan authorities said 55 Pakistani soldiers died. Pakistan has confirmed the deaths of 12 of its soldiers, while the Taliban said 13 of their fighters were killed.

Photo Credit: AFP