Explosions were heard in the Afghan capital Kabul, with the Taliban government saying they were responding to aerial Pakistan attacks.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s defence ministry said that “air defence strikes were carried out against Pakistani aircraft in Kabul”.
The renewed violence came after Afghan residents and officials said troops from both countries had been battling along the border, with the fighting coming alongside multiple strikes including the former US air base at Bagram.
Earlier, residents in multiple areas bordering Pakistan told reporters of fighting, while the Afghan government said three people were killed overnight in drone strikes and shelling.
North of Kabul, airstrikes “hit Bagram air base”, according to a resident who was not named for security reasons.
A second resident said “it was very strong, which shook the area. There was smoke and fire coming out north of the airport”, describing the dawn raid as “very terrifying”.
A provincial spokesman said Pakistani jets “attempted to bomb” the base, but there were no casualties or damage.
Pakistan acknowledged bombing key cities Friday including Kabul and Kandahar, which is home to Afghanistan’s supreme leader.
Late Sunday evening, Afghan officials claimed to have retaliated with strikes on multiple bases in Pakistan that caused “significant damage”, including in the major city of Rawalpindi, though there were no immediate Pakistani reports of such attacks.
“Any further violations of our airspace or acts of aggression by hostile Pakistani elements will be met with a swift, decisive, and proportionate response,” the Afghan Ministry of Defence posted on X, with a video of a drone flying into the distance. — AFP
