A fresh wave of cross-border military action has sharply escalated tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence has claimed that it carried out overnight airstrikes on alleged ISIS-linked targets in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. In a post on social media, the Ministry said important and designated targets were successfully hit, and warned that Afghanistan would take decisive action against any threats to its security and stability.

 

The developments come amid rising strain between the two neighbours. Earlier on June 11, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul to lodge a strong protest over alleged violations of Afghan airspace. It also accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes on residential areas that reportedly killed 13 civilians.