Kabul and Islamabad trade accusations over cross-border strikes

Afghanistan’s defense ministry stated that operations targeted positions in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces on Thursday night. While Kabul remains vague on the specific weaponry used, the Taliban regime maintains that these sites served as staging grounds for intelligence-backed attacks against Afghanistan. The ministry reported the mission hit its pre-designated targets, though it provided no evidence or casualty figures.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry dismissed the announcement as entirely false. Officials in Islamabad acknowledged only that a single, rudimentary drone crossed the border before being intercepted and destroyed. Instead of confirming the strike, Pakistan reiterated its long-standing accusation that the Afghan Taliban regime actively harbors and sponsors terrorists who orchestrate violence against the Pakistani state. This diplomatic friction follows a series of deadly exchanges, including Pakistani airstrikes last week that reportedly killed 13 people in Afghanistan. Despite mediation efforts led by China, the two nations remain deadlocked in a cycle of mutual recrimination.