MAJOR escalation in Pakistan-Taliban war as Islamabad violates ceasefire, launches airstrikes in Afghanistan; Taliban vows to…

The fresh airstrikes mark a major escalation in the Pakistan-Taliban war.

Pakistan-Taliban war: In a fresh escalation in the Pakistan-Taliban war, Islamabad has reportedly violated its extended ceasefire agreement with Kabul, as Pakistani forces launched fresh airstrikes in Afghanistan late Friday. A senior Taliban official claimed Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s border province of Paktika, and warned that Kabul would “retaliate” to the Pakistani truce violation, AFP reported.

“Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika. Afghanistan will retaliate,” AFP quoted the Afghan Taliban official as saying.

The airstrikes came hours after a temporary 48-hour ceasefire deal between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban expired on Friday afternoon, raising fears of another flare up between the two neighbours.

TTP suicide bombing kills 7 in North Waziristan

Earlier in the day, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group carried out a devastating suicide bombing on a military camp in Mir Ali city of North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least seven Pakistani soldiers, and injuring 13 others.

According to Pakistani officials, a group of TTP fighters attempted the to storm the military camp after one attacker rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the boundary wall. Six TTP fighters fighters were gunned down in the ensuing gun-battle, as per an official statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office.

However, hours after the attack, news emerged that Islamabad and Kabul had agreed to extend their 48-hour ceasefire until the conclusion of talks in Doha, Reuters reported. Citing sources, the report said a Pakistani delegation had already arrived in Doha while an Afghan delegation was expected to reach the Qatari capital on Saturday.

Pakistan-Taliban war

The recent escalation comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul after 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a military clash on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border last week.

The recent escalation was triggered after Pakistan conducted airstrikes against the TTP inside Afghanistan, following which border clashes erupted between Pakistan and Afghan forces, in which at least 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed, bringing the two countries to a war-like situation.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who launch frequent terror attacks inside Pakistan, especially in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The Afghan Taliban denies these allegations, but tensions persist between the two sides over this burning issue.