EXCLUSIVE | Afghan Forces Retaliate Against Pakistan's Air Strikes, Gunshots Reported At Pak-Afghan Border

Last Updated: March 18, 2024, 16:30 IST

Afghan forces are retaliating strongly to Pakistan’s airstrikes on the eastern Afghanistan region. People familiar with the developments there told CNN-News18 that Afghan Defence Forces are “retaliating against Pakistani incursions on Afghan soil”.

The people mentioned above said that Afghani forces “returned fire against Pakistani aggressors in several points along the Durand Line”.

Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces in the wee hours of Monday morning. People familiar with the developments in Pakistan told CNN-News18 that it killed eight Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists including senior commanders.

The people mentioned above also told CNN-News18 there is intermittent firing from the Afghan forces into Pakistan on three areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border – Kurram tribal district, North Waziristan tribal district and South Waziristan lower tribal districts.

They said that multiple mortar shells have landed in Pakistani territory following the aerial strike this morning.

The airstrikes were criticised by the Taliban regime and said there will be retaliation. The Taliban also alleged that innocent civilians were killed in the airstrikes and termed the airstrikes as ‘reckless’.

The Pakistani interior ministry issued fresh directives to the provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan in the wake of these attacks.

The attacks come close on the heels of the second phase of the repatriation of illegal Afghan citizens from Pakistan and also amid the holy month of Ramadan. Approximately 500,000 illegal Afghans have already been deported and the decision to kickstart the second phase was made during a virtual meeting by the federal interior secretary.