The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border. Casualties are not yet clear in what the Taliban called 'retaliatory operations', after it said Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks 'unprovoked', accusing them of firing at civilians. Pakistani forces would respond 'with a stone for every brick', he warned. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban reject. The escalation came as the Afghan Taliban foreign minister was in India for an historic visit.
Both sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands. Saying he 'strongly condemns' the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: 'The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.' A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.
The latest escalation came as the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India for a week-long visit. In a diplomatic thaw, Delhi said that it would reopen the embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago when the Taliban returned to power. In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks 'unprovoked', accusing them of firing at civilians. Pakistani forces would respond 'with a stone for every brick', he warned. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban reject. The escalation came as the Afghan Taliban foreign minister was in India for an historic visit.
Both sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands. Saying he 'strongly condemns' the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: 'The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.' A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.
The latest escalation came as the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India for a week-long visit. In a diplomatic thaw, Delhi said that it would reopen the embassy in Kabul, which was shut four years ago when the Taliban returned to power. In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
