Afghanistan’s Taliban-led defence ministry late Friday released satellite footage showing strikes on multiple compounds inside Pakistan, as cross-border fighting between the two neighbours intensifies.Officials quoted by ToloNews said the strikes hit a military camp near Faizabad in Islamabad, a headquarters in Nowshera, the military township of Jamrud and targets in Abbottabad. The ministry described the operation as “successful”, claiming that key Pakistani army bases, centres and facilities were struck.A Pakistani military official told the BBC that drones launched by the Afghan Taliban targeted three sites: the army’s artillery school in Nowshera, an area close to a military academy in Abbottabad, and a location near a primary school in Swabi. He said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed all the drones, with no reported casualties or significant damage.The release comes amid one of the sharpest escalations in tensions in recent months, with both sides trading air and ground attacks and issuing stark warnings.The latest flare-up began after Afghanistan said it launched strikes late Thursday in retaliation for deadly Pakistani air raids on Afghan border areas earlier this week. Pakistan responded with airstrikes in Kabul and two other provinces, saying it had targeted military installations. Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Mohammad Asif, wrote on X that “our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us.”Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the strikes were intended as “a message that our hands can reach their throats and that we will respond to every evil act of Pakistan.” He accused Islamabad of refusing dialogue, while rejecting Pakistani claims of heavy Afghan casualties as “false”.The two governments have issued sharply conflicting accounts. Pakistan’s military said its operations killed at least 274 Afghan forces and affiliated militants, while 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Kabul, in turn, claimed 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and said several had been captured. Neither side’s figures could be independently verified.Later on Friday, Afghan officials said 19 civilians were killed and 26 wounded in Pakistani strikes in Khost and Paktika provinces, accusing Islamabad of targeting residential areas. Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of harbouring militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a charge Kabul denies.Diplomatic efforts are under way to contain the crisis. Qatar has again stepped in to mediate, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia have all called for restraint. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy and protect civilians.
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