A long-simmering border dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated into open conflict Friday, as Pakistani military launched retaliatory strikes on major Afghan cities following Afghan troops storming dozens of Pakistani border positions hours earlier.
The Pakistani strikes hit the capital of Kabul, home to six million people, the southern city of Kandahar and four border provinces, according to Pakistani military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, according to The New York Times.
“That’s what has been done so far,” Sharif said at a news briefing Friday. “This is continuing.”
The international community has reacted to the violence, world leaders calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between the two nations.
Don Brown, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. diplomatic mission to Afghanistan, said in a statement on Friday, “We are aware of the recent escalation in tensions and outbreak of fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghachi urged both nations to resolve differences through dialogue during the holy month of Ramadan, offering Tehran’s assistance in facilitating dialogue.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on both sides to protect civilians as required under international law. U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Dujarric said the secretary-general urged both parties to “seek to resolve any differences through diplomacy.”
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Afghan forces targeted military sites in Pakistan, according to The Associated Press. “We have targeted important military targets in Pakistan, sending a message that our hands can reach their throats and that we will respond to every evil act of Pakistan,” he said. “Pakistan has never sought to resolve problems through dialogue.”
Following the Afghan strikes, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said in a post on X, “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us.”
Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, called for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict and told news agency RIA Novosti that Moscow is prepared to mediate discussions if needed, according to The Associated Press.
The extent of casualties on both sides has not yet been confirmed.
