- Explosion and gunfire reported in Kabul amid Pakistan-Taliban fighting on fourth day
- Taliban claims Afghan forces fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul
- Pakistan on Friday bombed Taliban posts in Kabul and Kandahar in deep incursions
An explosion followed by multiple rounds of gunfire were reportedly heard in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, as fighting between Pakistan and Taliban entered its fourth day on Sunday. The Taliban government said Afghan forces were shooting at Pakistani aircraft.
"Anti-aircraft fire is being directed at Pakistani aircraft in Kabul; residents should not be alarmed," Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X.
Pakistan on Friday bombed Taliban military installations and posts, some of them in Kabul and Kandahar, in one of the deepest incursions into its neighbour in recent years.
The escalation came hours after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops in what the Taliban government said was retaliation for deadly airstrikes earlier this week.
After the strikes, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country's armed forces can "crush" aggressors.
"Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions," he said.
Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif declared an "open war" with the Taliban government.
"Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between us and you," Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif posted on X as the Pakistani military launched operation 'Ghazab Lil Haq' against Afghanistan.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, who it says are carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, a charge the Taliban denies.
The latest strikes mark the most serious escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months, threatening a fragile ceasefire along the 2,600-km frontier.
