Death toll in Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes rises to 60

Tensions continue to rise in the border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistani security sources announced that Pakistan Air Force fighter jets, which took off during the clashes that intensified overnight, carried out airstrikes on the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the city of Kandahar. It was also reported that an ammunition depot was destroyed in Nangarhar province as part of the strikes. Sources further stated that targets belonging to Afghanistan's Taliban administration were hit in the Kurram region of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

"The number of neutralized Afghan forces has reached 58"

Pakistan's Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, announced that with the latest developments, the number of Afghan security forces neutralized as a result of the Pakistani army's response to Afghanistan's attacks has reached 58, while 102 Afghan security personnel have been injured. A previous statement from Pakistan had indicated that 2 Pakistani soldiers had lost their lives.

In his earlier statement, Tarar emphasized that the attacks carried out by Afghanistan along the border line were "unprovoked" and noted that a special operation had been launched against Afghan military elements.

Afghanistan had launched large-scale offensive operations

In the past few hours, Afghan Government Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had announced that large-scale offensive operations had been launched against Pakistani military bases and facilities along the Durand Line in response to Pakistan's recent airstrikes. Mujahid had stated that positions belonging to the Pakistani army had been captured in various regions.

Pakistan had struck ISIS and TTP targets

The latest clashes on the border follow Pakistan's airstrikes against Afghanistan on February 22. In his statement regarding the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan against the terrorist organization ISIS on Afghan soil, Pakistani Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry reported that 7 points belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, and the Khorasan branch of the terrorist organization ISIS had been hit on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Chaudhry said, "As part of the operations, Pakistan hit seven different targets and at least 70 terrorists were killed."

Afghan officials, on the other hand, claimed that there were civilian casualties in the aforementioned attack and made statements indicating that there would be retaliation for the attack.

News Source: İHA