Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaza Asif has declared that both his country and Afghanistan are at "open war" following months of clashes on the border. Asif has said, "our patience has now run out and Afghanistan will have to bear the consequences". Pakistani army has named its strikes on Afghanistan as "Operation Ghazab lil Haq". A Pakistani military spokesman claimed, Pakistan Air Force carried out air strikes on 22 Afghan military targets, at least 12 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in Afghan Taliban attacks and 274 Afghan Taliban officials and militants have been killed in Pakistani attacks.
On its part, Taliban has claimed that more than 55 Pakistani soldiers have been killed, several taken hostages and some Pakistani border posts have been captured. An Afghan official also claimed that a Pakistani Air Force jet was downed in Jalalabad and its pilot was captured alive, but Pakistan rubbished the claim as untrue. However, residents in Jalalabad told a foreign news agency that the pilot parachuted after the fighter jet was shot and he was soon captured. Kabul and Kandahar, where Taliban supreme chief Hibatullah Akhundzada has his headquarter, were bombed by PAF jets.
Nine civilians were killed and four others wounded when Pakistani army fired shells on Asadabad in Kunar province on Friday. Fresh fighting broke out between Afghan forces and Pakistani army along the Durand Line in Paktika province. Afghan forces have claimed that they fired rockets on army locations in Islamabad, Abbotabad, Naushera and Kakul. Taliban government has also claimed its forces attacked 53 Pakistani border posts in Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, Khurram and Chitral Valley in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, killing more than 55 Pakistani soldiers. The Afghan fighters carried away the bodies of 22 Pakistani soldiers to their area.
Pakistani experts candidly admit that the Taliban attacks this time were more dangerous compared to the previous attacks in October last year. Massive damages have been caused during the attacks. Though Pakistani army claims not much damage was caused, Taliban officials issued videos which show Pakistani soldiers running for their life, dozens of soldiers killed and Taliban fighters celebrating after the attacks.
PAF jets bombed several targets in Kabul, Laghman, Paktika, Nangarhar and Khost provinces of Afghanistan. In Paktika, an under construction dam and a forward operating base of Taliban forces were bombed by PAF jets. Already, Sindh is on the boil against the Pakistani regime, while Baloch Liberation Army has been giving the Pakistani army nightmares. With revolts in the countryside, the Pakistani army is now saddled with a war against its neighbour .These are not good signs for Pakistan. There are people in Pakistan who are openly saying that it is difficult to imagine about how many pieces will Pakistan break up.
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