Pakistan warns of ‘crushing’ response as Kabul returns to calm

Islamabad/Kabul, Feb 27 (EFE).- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday vowed to “crush” any aggression from Afghanistan, as Kabul resumed daily life after a night of Pakistani airstrikes that marked a sharp escalation in tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban-led government.

Islamabad’s tough rhetoric came in the wake of what Pakistani officials described as retaliatory strikes against militant hideouts on Afghan soil.

In a series of social media posts, Sharif said Pakistan’s armed forces were “fully capable of crushing any aggressive intentions” and would offer a “befitting reply” to any attack.

He emphasized that there would be “no compromise” on defending the country and praised the military’s professionalism under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir.

The prime minister’s remarks provide political backing for a fast-escalating conflict that began with Pakistani strikes targeting alleged insurgent bases in Afghanistan.

Kabul responded with coordinated border attacks overnight, followed by further Pakistani bombardments and clashes along the disputed Durand Line, the de facto border between the two neighbors.

Casualty figures remain sharply contested. Pakistan claims its operations killed 133 Taliban fighters and wounded more than 200.

Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry reported eight fighters killed and 11 wounded, along with 13 civilians affected by bombings. Taliban authorities, meanwhile, say 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and claim to be holding 23 bodies and an unspecified number of prisoners.

Routine After Night of Explosions

Despite the exchange of strikes, Kabul awoke on Friday to open markets and busy streets.

According to sources on the ground, the airstrikes targeted at least three areas: Khair Khana, Darul Aman, and Pul-e-Charkhi, the latter known for housing significant military facilities.

The other two districts are largely residential.In neighborhoods such as Karte Naw, shops reopened and commercial activity continued, even as residents acknowledged the unease caused by the overnight bombardment.

Taliban officials said no fatalities or injuries were recorded in the capital itself, despite explosions in several areas.

The apparent calm comes as Afghans prepare for the upcoming Eid festival, traditionally a period of heightened commercial activity.

Markets remain active, though conversations are tinged with uncertainty about what might follow.

“Although we were restless last night hearing those terrifying sounds again after a long time, fortunately everything is fine and you can see that everyone continues with their work,” Khair Mohammad, a local resident, told EFE.

For younger Afghans, however, the night revived fears unfamiliar in recent years.Haroon, 18, said he spent hours worrying that “a bomb would fall on the roof” of his house.

Shopkeeper Bilal Tofan expressed similar concern, noting that many residents still do not know exactly which areas were struck or whether more attacks could follow.

Former Allies at War

The latest outbreak of violence stems from Pakistan’s accusation that the Taliban government has failed to expel militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who allegedly stage cross-border attacks into Pakistan.

Islamabad has framed its operations as an effort to curb cross-border terrorism, while Kabul has denounced the strikes as violations of Afghan sovereignty.

The aerial assaults have also reignited debate within Afghanistan about its defensive capabilities.

Some retired military officials lament the lack of anti-aircraft systems, recalling periods before the 1992 civil war when, they say, Afghan airspace posed a deterrent to foreign incursions.

For now, Kabul’s streets project resilience rather than panic.

But beneath the surface calm, the exchange of airstrikes and retaliatory fire has pushed the two neighboring countries, once pragmatic allies, to the brink of a broader confrontation, with both sides issuing stark warnings and vastly differing accounts of the human cost. EFE

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