3 killed after Pakistan bombs Afghanistan again, border clashes escalate

At least three people were killed and six injured after Pakistan conducted fresh airstrikes on Afghanistan early Monday, according to an Afghan provincial official cited by Tolo News, raising fears of renewed fighting between the two neighbours. Clashes between Pakistani forces and the Taliban also intensified along the disputed border.

The strikes took place between 3 am and 4 am local time in Nurgal district of Kunar province, with two houses suffering extensive damage. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said two men and a woman were killed in Kunar.

Kunar is located along the Durand Line, the disputed international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The latest strikes are Pakistan's first known airstrikes inside Afghanistan since June 29, when Pakistani forces struck targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says 28 civilians were killed and 49 injured in the June strikes.

Pakistani aircraft also carried out today's strikes in Paktika province, another border region, while an exchange of fire was reported between Pakistani forces and the Taliban along the Durand Line. Mujahid said that a house and a shop were bombed in Paktika, with no casualties reported.

Fighting was reported near Spin Shaka in Paktia and Tre Mengal in Pakistan's Kurram district. According to local reports, the clashes intensified after the Taliban objected to an attempt by Pakistani forces to establish a tactical position at a former Afghan army location. Artillery fire was also used during the clashes.

Mujahid condemned the Pakistani airstrikes, calling them "aggression" and saying that Kabul would respond. He said that Pakistan’s military establishment was trying to divert attention from internal security problems.

The latest escalation came two days after an attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan and threatens to revive the intense fighting witnessed between the two countries in February. It also follows months of intermittent violence after a temporary Eid ceasefire in March failed to produce a lasting truce.

WHY PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN ARE FIGHTING

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated largely over Pakistan's allegations that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out attacks inside Pakistan, maintains bases and operates from Afghan territory.

Pakistan has repeatedly demanded that the Taliban government take action against TTP terrorists. Kabul has denied allowing Afghan soil to be used for attacks against Pakistan and has rejected Islamabad's accusations.

The two countries also remain divided over the Durand Line, the roughly 2,600-km border drawn during British rule. Afghanistan has historically refused to recognise the line as an international border, while Pakistan treats it as its official frontier.

Monday's strikes by Pakistan and the reported ground clashes in Afghanistan suggest that the fragile calm along the Durand Line is once again under serious strain.