Pakistan–Afghanistan Clashes Escalate as UN Chief Calls for Immediate Ceasefire

Pakistan–Afghanistan Clashes Escalate as UN Chief Calls for Immediate Ceasefire
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Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified overnight, with both sides reporting casualties and cross-border strikes in what Pakistani officials described as an “open war,” prompting the United Nations to call for an immediate halt to hostilities.

A spokesperson for the Pakistani military, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Friday that Pakistani airstrikes targeted 22 military sites inside Afghanistan following heavy clashes along the border. He stated that at least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed, along with 274 Taliban officials and fighters since Thursday evening.

According to Pakistani security sources, the strikes included air-to-surface missile attacks on military and administrative facilities in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia province, alongside ground engagements across multiple sectors of the 2,600-kilometer border. It marks the first time Islamabad has directly targeted Taliban government forces in major Afghan cities, significantly straining relations between the two neighbors.

The Taliban said they retaliated with attacks on Pakistani military installations and rejected Islamabad’s longstanding accusations that Kabul harbors militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.

Amid the escalation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. His spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, urged both sides to resolve differences through diplomacy and warned that continued fighting would worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, where nearly half the population already requires aid.