‘Heavy Attacks’ Launched: Afghanistan Responds To Pakistani Airstrikes

<p>Afghan authorities said they were carrying out strikes against Pakistani positions in response to Pakistani airstrikes conducted days earlier, according to the Associated Press.</p> <p>Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the military in eastern Afghanistan, said the action was taken following airstrikes in Afghan territory.</p> <p>"To retaliate for the air strikes by Pakistan in Nangarhar and Paktia... the border forces... in the eastern zone started heavy attacks on Pakistani outposts," Mohammadi said.</p> <h2><strong>Pakistan Says 70 Militants Killed, Afghanistan Disputes Claim</strong></h2> <p>On Sunday, Pakistan&rsquo;s military said it carried out strikes along the Afghan border, claiming that at least 70 militants were killed.</p> <p>Afghanistan rejected the assertion, saying the attacks killed dozens of civilians, including women and children. The Afghan Defence Ministry said &ldquo;various civilian areas&rdquo; in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes, and described the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan&rsquo;s airspace and sovereignty.</p> <h2><strong>Border Exchange Of Fire Widens Across Districts</strong></h2> <p>There was no immediate word on casualties from the latest exchange, and Pakistan&rsquo;s military did not issue an immediate response.</p> <p>However, Pakistani local authorities and two senior security officials said forces stationed along the Afghan border in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were responding to &ldquo;unprovoked fire&rdquo; by targeting Afghan positions from where artillery shelling had originated.</p> <p>Officials said the exchange of fire began in the Khyber district before spreading to at least four other districts along the border.</p> <h2><strong>Durand Line Remains A Disputed Boundary</strong></h2> <p>The 2,611-kilometre (1,622-mile) border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as the Durand Line, has not been formally recognised by Afghanistan, contributing to long-standing tensions between the two countries.</p> <h2><strong>Months Of Rising Tensions And Failed Peace Efforts</strong></h2> <p>Tensions between the neighbours have remained high for months. In October, deadly border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, following explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad had then carried out strikes inside Afghanistan targeting what it described as militant hideouts.</p> <p>Although a Qatari-mediated ceasefire has largely held, sporadic cross-border firing has continued. Several rounds of peace talks in November did not result in a formal agreement.</p>

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