Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Afghan forces have launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military bases following recent air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force in Afghanistan. The Afghan defence ministry reported attacks on several key military locations along the Durand Line, including Kabul, Ali-Sher district in Khost, Jalalabad and Kandahar, as clashes entered the fifth day.
The incident is the latest escalation along the 2,600-km Durand Line, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border where tensions have surged since Pakistan’s February 21-22 strikes on terror camps.
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According to Afghan officials, the forces captured multiple Pakistani military posts in the Spin Boldak and Shorabak districts of Kandahar province. Three posts were seized in Spin Boldak, resulting in three Pakistani soldiers being killed and one taken prisoner. Additionally, two Pakistani posts were captured in the Ali-Sher district, TOLOnews reported.
The Pakistani and Afghan militaries have been targeting each other’s posts across their shared border for the past four days. The clashes are the heaviest in years, though the intensity has decreased compared to the initial days.
The conflict began last month when the Taliban-led Afghan forces launched retaliatory strikes against Pakistani military installations in response to Pakistan’s targeting of terrorists inside Afghanistan.
On Monday, the Afghan defence ministry announced the destruction of a Pakistani armoured tank in Paktika province after it fired shells indiscriminately towards Afghan territory. Spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi said that Afghan forces have killed over 100 Pakistani personnel and captured more than 25 military posts so far, Reuters reported.
Afghan police said that Pakistani jets attempted to bomb Bagram air base near Kabul but were repelled by Afghan air defence systems. There were no casualties or damage reported. Bagram was the largest US military base in Afghanistan during the two-decade-long conflict.
Pakistani security sources confirmed ongoing air and ground strikes, targeting ammunition depots in Khost and Jalalabad, as well as a drone storage site in Jalalabad.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that Pakistani forces have killed 435 Afghan troops, destroyed 188 posts, and captured 31 posts. They also destroyed 188 tanks, armoured vehicles, and artillery guns, targeting 51 locations by air.
Despite offers from countries like Qatar to mediate, no progress has been made towards peace. The Afghan Taliban have expressed willingness to negotiate, but the US-Israel strikes against Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on American and Israeli bases in the Middle East, have hindered peace efforts.
The core issue between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains Pakistan’s allegations that Afghanistan harbours Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists who operate inside Pakistan. Afghanistan denies these claims and states it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated that Pakistan’s sole demand is that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan, and that resolving this issue is key to normalising relations.
– Ends
(with inputs from Reuters)
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
