Islamabad/Kabul, Mar 7: Troops from Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire at dozens of points along their border on Friday, as the United Nations said more than 100,000 people have been displaced by a week of escalating clashes.
The fighting, described as the worst between the two neighbours in years, showed no immediate signs of easing, raising concerns about growing instability in the region.
Officials said the hostilities have intensified along the 2,600-km border, with both sides accusing each other of launching attacks on military installations.
According to Afghan authorities, Taliban forces carried out retaliatory strikes on Pakistani positions after Islamabad launched air raids on targets inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan reportedly conducted air strikes on Taliban government installations, including the Bagram air base north of Kabul, in recent days.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said Taliban forces struck Pakistani military targets across multiple locations along the frontier.
Taliban forces “struck Pakistani military installations in more than two dozen locations along the border,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the attacks “destroyed 14 posts and shot down a drone.”
The escalation has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, with the UN warning that over 100,000 people have already been displaced by the fighting.
The clashes come at a time of heightened tensions across the wider region following US and Israeli strikes on neighbouring Iran, which shares borders with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Observers say the deteriorating situation risks further destabilising South Asia and could draw additional regional actors into the conflict if hostilities continue.
