Afghan Taliban launch strikes on border with Pakistan, raising tensions

Pakistani security official stands guard at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Chaman, Balochistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban regime said it carried out strikes on targets along the Pakistani-U.S. border, injuring several people in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.

Pakistan’s military reported shooting down four rudimentary drones and warned any further provocation would receive a befitting response. The BBC has not been able to independently confirm these attacks.

The strikes followed Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan that killed 28 civilians, according to United Nations reports.

After months of relative calm following a ceasefire agreed in October, tensions have once again surfaced as both sides accuse each other of harbouring terrorists.

Kabul accuses Islamabad of unprovoked attacks on civilian homes, while Pakistan says it targets militants only, citing an operation that killed 29 militants in an alleged response to recent terrorist attacks.

Officials on both sides report intermittent border clashes and air strikes have killed dozens of people in recent months, adding to a volatile security environment.

Related coverage includes an April article titled ‘Why are Afghanistan and Pakistan fighting?’ and a February piece noting Pakistani strikes killed at least 28 civilians.