‘Now it is open war’: Taliban military posts, HQs, ammo depots hit; details of Pakistan strikes on Afghanistan – The Times of India

In a declared “open warfare,” Pakistan launched in a single day airstrikes in Afghanistan, closely bombing a number of key cities, together with Kabul and Kandahar, and claiming that 133 folks have been killed in what Islamabad known as a “sturdy and efficient” retaliation for “unprovoked firing” from throughout the border.The strikes got here after Afghanistan claimed it had killed 55 Pakistani troops earlier alongside the Durand Line, the contested border between the 2 neighbouring international locations.The military escalation appeared to maneuver either side additional away from the Qatar-brokered peace efforts between the 2 Islamic nations, casting uncertainty over the delicate understanding.A number of explosions have been heard in Kabul and Kandahar, with locals reporting jets flying overhead. Pakistan reportedly used its air power within the strikes, whereas Afghanistan, a landlocked nation, doesn’t have an air power of its personal.The Related Press reported that Pakistan’s military carried out airstrikes focusing on Afghan military services in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia provinces, allegedly destroying two brigade bases. Nonetheless, there was no point out of potential casualties.Taliban’s ammunition services additionally fell within the radar of assault by Islamabad. Officers spoke on situation of anonymity to AP, as they weren’t authorised to talk to the media on the document.Afghanistan stated its military launched crossborder assaults into Pakistan late Thursday in retaliation for lethal Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas on Sunday. It claimed to have captured greater than a dozen Pakistani military posts through the operation.Pakistan’s authorities, which had described Sunday’s airstrikes as focusing on militants sheltered within the space, termed Thursday’s Afghan assault unprovoked and rejected claims that any military posts had been seized.Officers from either side spoke on situation of anonymity, as they weren’t authorised to talk to the media on the document.UN secretary-basic Antonio Guterres urged restraint, calling on either side to guard civilians in accordance with worldwide regulation and “to proceed to hunt to resolve any variations by diplomacy,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated.

Afghan strikes have been retaliatory

“In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, massive-scale offensive operations have been launched in opposition to Pakistani military bases and military installations alongside the Durand Line,” Mujahid stated in a submit on X Thursday night time. Afghanistan’s protection ministry stated the retaliatory strikes happened alongside the border throughout six provinces.The 2,611-kilometre (1,622-mile) border between the 2 international locations is referred to as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has not formally recognised.

Differing casualty figures

The two sides offered sharply completely different casualty figures.Afghanistan’s protection ministry stated 55 Pakistani troopers have been killed, with some our bodies taken into Afghanistan, and that “a number of others have been captured alive.” It reported eight Afghan troopers killed and 11 wounded. The ministry stated it destroyed 19 Pakistani military posts and two bases, including that the preventing ended at midnight, round 4 hours after the assault started.Pakistan’s info minister Attaullah Tarar, nevertheless, stated two Pakistani troopers have been killed and three others wounded. He stated 36 Afghan fighters had been killed. In a submit on X, he stated Pakistan was giving a “sturdy and efficient response” to what he described as unprovoked firing from Afghanistan.Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani troopers had been captured. Later, in one other submit on X, he stated not less than 133 Afghan fighters have been killed and greater than 200 wounded, claiming that 27 Afghan posts have been destroyed and 9 fighters captured. He didn’t specify the place the casualties occurred, however added that there could be “many extra casualties estimated in strikes in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar military targets.”

Refugee camp hit

Each side additionally reported exchanges of hearth close to the Torkham border crossing.Afghan authorities started evacuating a refugee camp close to Torkham after a number of refugees have been wounded, stated Qureshi Badlon, head of Torkham’s Info and Public Consciousness Board. The protection ministry stated 13 civilians, together with ladies and kids, have been injured in a missile strike on the camp.On the Pakistani facet, police stated residents have been transferring to safer areas. Afghan refugees ready to cross again into Afghanistan have been additionally relocated. Pakistan has been conducting a significant crackdown on migrants since October 2023, expelling a whole bunch of hundreds of folks.Pakistani police stated mortars fired from Afghanistan landed in close by villages however reported no civilian casualties.“Pakistan will take all essential measures to make sure its territorial integrity and the protection and safety of its residents,” Pakistan’s Info Ministry stated in a submit on X.Afghanistan’s military launched video footage exhibiting military automobiles transferring at night time accompanied by the sound of heavy gunfire. The footage couldn’t be independently verified.

Months of rigidity

Tensions between the 2 neighbours have remained excessive for months. Lethal border clashes in October killed dozens of troopers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence adopted explosions in Kabul that Afghan officers blamed on Pakistan. In response, Islamabad carried out strikes deep inside Afghanistan focusing on alleged militant hideouts.A Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held, however sporadic exchanges of hearth have continued. A number of rounds of peace talks in November failed to provide a proper settlement.On Sunday, Pakistan’s military carried out strikes alongside the Afghan border, claiming it killed not less than 70 militants.Afghanistan rejected the declare, saying dozens of civilians, together with ladies and kids, have been killed. The defence ministry stated “varied civilian areas” in jap Afghanistan have been hit, together with a spiritual madrassa and several other houses, calling the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.Militant violence has surged in Pakistan lately, a lot of which Islamabad attributes to the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, and outlawed Baloch separatist teams. The TTP, whereas separate from Afghanistan’s Taliban, is carefully allied with it. Pakistan accuses the TTP of working from Afghan territory, a cost denied by each the group and Kabul.