The Pakistani air force attacked military installations in Afghanistan overnight, bombing targets in the capital Kabul, as well as in the provinces of Kandahar and Paktika.
The Afghan government reported that 55 Pakistani and eight Afghan soldiers had been killed. 19 Pakistani military posts and two military bases had been destroyed. Pakistan, for its part, announced that two Pakistani soldiers and at least 133 Afghan fighters had been killed. In addition, 27 Afghan positions had been hit. This information cannot be verified.
Previously, Afghanistan attacked Pakistani positions along the disputed border. Some of them have been captured, ARD reports.
Defense Minister speaks of "open war"
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari wrote on the X platform that the reaction of Pakistani troops was comprehensive and decisive. His country would not make concessions regarding peace and territorial integrity.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif even mentioned "open war". In a post on X, he wrote: "Our patience is running out. Now we will wage open war against you. Now there will be a fire".
Relations have deteriorated greatly
The Pakistani government accuses the radical Islamic Taliban of not taking any action against the military groups that carry out attacks from Afghanistan against the neighboring country.
At the end of last week, Pakistan attacked positions in Afghanistan, ARD recalls. According to UN data, 13 civilians were killed in the airstrikes, seven people were injured. Taliban spokesman Sabiullah Mujahid described the subsequent attacks from Pakistan as a counteroffensive.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated greatly recently, the German public media notes. It recalls that there were skirmishes in September, and peace talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey did not lead to a lasting solution to the conflict.