KABUL/ISLAMABAD, March 2 (Reuters) – Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Monday that their militaries had targeted each other’s posts across the border as their fighting entered a fifth day, fuelling instability in a region rocked by U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation. The intensity of the clashes, however, appeared to be lower than when it began although there were no signs that the allies-turned-foes were seeking to step back and make peace. The direct fighting between the South Asian neighbours who share a 2,600-km (1,615-mile) border is the heaviest in years.
It began when Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers launched what they called retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations in response to Pakistan’s targetting of militants in Afghanistan. Dozens of people were killed on both sides as Pakistan used jets to launch air-to-ground missiles at Taliban military sites and even directly targeted Afghanistan’s government for the first time over allegations it harbours militants seeking to overthrow the Islamabad government.
Bagram Air Base Targeted
On Monday, the Taliban defence ministry said that Afghan forces targeted and destroyed a Pakistani military armoured tank on the frontier in Paktika province after it had fired shells indiscriminately toward Afghanistan. Defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi said that Afghan forces had killed more than 100 enemy personnel and captured more than 25 Pakistani military posts so far.In a statement directed at the people of Afghanistan, Khowarazmi said that “sometimes the enemy’s aircraft pass through our airspace” and Taliban fighters fire air defence weapons to repel enemy attacks.
“Do not be concerned, they are your own sons. Be confident and trust your sons,” he said, referring to the Taliban fighters.
Afghan police said late on Sunday that Pakistani jets had tried to bomb Bagram air base outside Kabul and were repelled by Russian-made ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns. There were no casualties or financial losses, they said.
Bagram air base, located north of Kabul, was the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan and once the centrepiece of U.S. and NATO military operations during the 20-year war. Source: reuters.com
