Pakistan and Afghanistan edged closer to full-scale war Friday after Pakistani jets struck Kabul and key Taliban strongholds, triggering hours of cross-border fighting and a fresh spiral in a conflict that has been building for months.
Before dawn, explosions rippled across Kabul as fighter jets circled overhead.
In the south, residents of Kandahar, the spiritual heartland of the Taliban leadership, also reported aircraft and blasts.
Islamabad said it had targeted Taliban defence installations in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar in retaliation for what it described as Afghan-initiated attacks on Pakistani border troops late Thursday.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared that Islamabad’s “patience has run out,” framing the confrontation as “open war.”
