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KABUL – Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of bombing a border town and striking the capital, Kabul, in what it called a “violent and unprecedented” violation of Afghan sovereignty. The allegation follows two powerful explosions in central Kabul on Thursday evening, near Abdul Haq Square, which Afghan authorities said caused no casualties.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry claimed Pakistani forces also targeted a civilian market in Paktika province near the Durand Line, destroying shops and violating Kabul’s airspace. “If the situation escalates further, the consequences will be attributed to the Pakistani army,” the ministry warned in a statement.
Pakistan, while neither confirming nor denying the strikes, said Afghan soil should not be used for attacks against Pakistan. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told reporters in Peshawar that measures would be taken to protect Pakistani lives and property. Islamabad has long accused the Taliban of harboring leaders of the Pakistan-based Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), which has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan in recent weeks.
Rumors suggested the Kabul blasts were an attempt on TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud, but the group released an audio message claiming he was unharmed. Afghan officials on the ground reported heavy Taliban security presence and mobile checkpoints around the suspected blast sites, though no evidence of explosions was seen at the locations.
Despite the tensions, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, speaking from Delhi, urged dialogue over conflict. “Pakistan should not repeat this mistake,” he said. “Our issues can be solved by negotiation, not by war.”
The situation marks a sharp escalation in cross-border tensions, with both sides accusing the other of violating national security and sovereignty, amid a long-standing dispute over militant safe havens along the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
