Afghan Taliban confirm 'retaliatory' border attacks on Pakistan 3 hours ago

The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.

Casualties are not yet clear in what the Taliban government called "retaliatory operations", after it claimed Pakistan had violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the Afghan attacks were "unprovoked" and civilians were fired at, warning that his country's forces would respond "with a stone for every brick".

Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban government rejected.

Both the Afghan and Pakistani sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.

Saying that he "strongly condemns" the Taliban's attacks, Naqvi stated: "The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.

"Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood," he said in a post on X.

A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.

Pakistan's military has not officially commented, but a security source speaking to the BBC claimed that firing took place at several locations along the Pakistani-Afghan border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha.