Explosion, gunfire as Afghan forces shoot at aircraft over KabulMonths of cross-border clashes escalated Thursday when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skiesKABUL - An explosion followed by successive gunfire were heard in central Kabul on Sunday, AFP journalists reported, with the Taliban government saying Afghan forces were shooting at a fresh incursion by Pakistani aircraft. "Anti-aircraft fire is being directed at Pakistani aircraft in Kabul," Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Sunday, referring to guns being fired overhead. Afghan officials said Thursday's border offensive was a response to earlier air strikes that killed civilians, which Pakistan said targeted militants. Afghan security forces said they had downed a Pakistani fighter jet and captured its pilot, which Islamabad denied as "totally untrue". Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister, told AFP that gunmen he said were associated with the Pakistani Taliban had attacked a checkpoint in the northwest.

Source: Bangkok Post March 01, 2026 03:53 UTC