ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week directed authorities to ensure prompt and comprehensive security measures countrywide, state media reported, as Pakistan’s armed conflict with Afghanistan intensifies. The latest clashes between the neighbors erupted after Pakistani airstrikes targeted what Islamabad described as militant hideouts inside Afghanistan earlier this month, drawing sharp criticism from Kabul. Afghanistan’s forces retaliated on Thursday night, firing at Pakistani posts along the border and triggering an armed conflict between the two sides.

Tensions have been high between the neighbors for months, with border clashes in October killing dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants.

Islamabad/Karachi: Pakistan and Afghanistan traded claims of heavy battlefield losses early Friday as cross-border fighting intensified along their shared frontier, marking the…