Pakistan says it carried out counter strikes, but the Taliban claims the real aggression started earlier

Pakistan said it carried out “counter strikes” on Afghan cities early Friday as cross-border tensions with Afghanistan escalated. The Afghan Taliban rejected that account, claiming their own renewed attacks against Pakistani troops were a response to earlier Pakistani aggression, signaling a breakdown in a fragile ceasefire agreed to in October.

As reported by BBC News, the strikes followed a series of clashes along the shared border that have intensified in recent days. Pakistani officials said the strikes targeted areas in Kabul and Kandahar.

Both sides have accused the other of initiating the latest violence, with each government issuing statements asserting it acted in self-defense. The competing claims underscore how quickly the security situation along the border has deteriorated.

Both sides accuse each other of initiating the latest violence

Pakistani authorities described the strikes as a direct response to what they called “unprovoked Afghan attacks.” In a statement shared on X by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, officials said early reports indicated heavy casualties on the Afghan side and the destruction of multiple posts and equipment. Separate coverage this week has also focused on AI misuse in policing, including AI facial recognition misidentification. Pakistan also stated it would take all necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity and citizens.

The Afghan Taliban offered a sharply different account. Chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that “large-scale preemptive operations” were launched against Pakistani army centers and military installations along the border in response to repeated violations. Taliban military spokesman Mawlawi Wahidullah Mohammadi said their retaliatory operation began at 8:00 PM local time on Thursday, claiming numerous Pakistani soldiers were killed or captured and that 15 military posts were seized, assertions Pakistan denied.

Earlier, Pakistan reported that two soldiers were killed and three injured after the Taliban launched an operation against military positions on Thursday. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani forces responded to what he described as unprovoked fire. Kabul had previously warned of retaliatory action after Pakistani strikes overnight into Sunday, which Islamabad said targeted seven alleged militant camps near the border following recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.

Kabul, however, said those earlier strikes hit civilian homes and a religious school, alleging that women and children were among the dead. Residents in Kabul reported hearing loud blasts across the city on Friday, while people in Pakistani border regions also reported explosions and were asked to move to safer areas.

Officials suspended the repatriation of deported Afghan nationals at the Torkham border crossing, and the crossing was closed to Afghan refugees as clashes continued along the 1,600-mile mountainous frontier. Separate tech regulation reporting has also tracked enforcement actions by US officials, including New York AG loot boxes.