Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has entered its fifth straight day, with no clear sign that either side is ready to step back. The clashes mark the heaviest direct fighting between the two neighbors in years.
Both governments say they have targeted military posts across their 2,600-kilometer border. The conflict began after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers launched what they called retaliatory strikes against Pakistani positions. That came after Pakistan carried out air attacks inside Afghanistan, saying it was targeting militants.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring fighters from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an armed group that Islamabad says is behind attacks inside Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the claim and says it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Dozens of people have been killed on both sides since the fighting began. Pakistan has used fighter jets to fire air-to-ground missiles at Taliban military sites. Afghan officials say their forces destroyed Pakistani military equipment along the frontier in Paktika province. Each side claims to have killed hundreds of enemy troops and destroyed dozens of posts and vehicles.
On Sunday, Afghan police said Pakistani jets tried to bomb Bagram air base near Kabul but were repelled by anti-aircraft fire. Bagram was once the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan during the 20-year war.
Despite offers from countries like Qatar to mediate, there has been no clear move toward peace talks. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the only issue is cross-border militancy and that Islamabad has no other dispute with Afghanistan if that concern is resolved.
The conflict is unfolding at a time of wider instability in the region, including tensions linked to fighting involving Iran. For now, the border remains tense, and both sides appear dug in.
