Base hit in Pakistan after it strikes deep inside Afghanistan
An airbase in Pakistan was struck by drones on Friday in apparent retaliation for overnight airstrikes deep inside Afghanistan, as the two neighbouring countries continued their cross-border clashes.
A pair of drones hit an air force base in the north-western town of Kohat, wounding at least three people, Pakistani intelligence sources told dpa on Friday. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
The drones struck the base hours after Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes deep inside Afghanistan, targeting at least five locations, including one in the province of Kandahar, a stronghold of the Afghan Taliban, officials said.
Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, wrote on X that Pakistan had struck a fuel depot near Kandahar airport. Footage broadcast by Afghan television channel TOLOnews showed columns of smoke rising from the site.
According to local media reports, targets in the capital Kabul were also attacked from the air again. Afghanistan then responded on Friday morning with drone strikes on military installations in Pakistan.
The airstrikes deep inside Afghanistan mark a renewed escalation of the conflict, which had recently been largely limited to the border regions.
Fighting between the two countries began at the end of February, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban in Kabul of harbouring militants who carry out attacks in Pakistan – a charge Kabul denies.
This week, initial mediation efforts began, with China’s special envoy for Afghanistan holding talks in both capitals.
