Pakistan reports renewed border fire with Afghanistan near Gulistan
Pakistani security sources say Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and fighting continued, but neither government has officially confirmed the account.
Pakistani security sources have reported an intermittent exchange of fire near Gulistan on Friday, saying several Afghan Taliban members were killed and fighting was ongoing. Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan has officially confirmed the reported deaths or clashes.
The account follows Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan on Thursday. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were a response to an alleged drone incursion from Afghanistan a day earlier, and that they hit what he described as militant hideouts and support infrastructure, including drone sites.
Afghanistan said the strikes targeted Kandahar, Paktia and Khost, and its government said it would deliver an “appropriate response”. Taliban officials denied launching drones at Pakistan. The claims about the incursion, strike targets and effects remain disputed.
The latest escalation comes amid tensions over armed groups and cross-border attacks. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters responsible for attacks in Pakistan; Afghanistan denies harbouring anti-Pakistani armed groups.
China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are pursuing mediation between the neighbours, according to Al Jazeera Global News. The reported fighting adds to uncertainty around efforts to broker a lasting peace.
