The Taliban government in Afghanistan last night declared readiness for talks after Pakistan bombed its forces in major cities and declared it was in “open war“ with “allies turned enemies“, "Reuters" reported.
Pakistan struck the capital Kabul, the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, and other cities, BTA listed.
These attacks were the first directly targeted at the Afghan government over accusations that it is harboring fighters seeking to overthrow the government in Islamabad.
Pakistani security sources said the strikes were carried out with air-to-surface missiles, targeting Taliban military offices and positions in response to Afghan attacks on Thursday.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said there were civilian casualties, but did not give further details.
Later, deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat specified that they were killed At least 19 civilians were killed and 26 were injured.
Meanwhile, the United States said it supported Pakistan's right to "defend itself" against the Taliban, following the attack on the border on Thursday.
This is Washington's first official reaction to the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, AFP noted.