Pakistani drones dropped bombs on suspected terrorists’ homes inside Afghanistan and Taliban forces retaliated by shelling security posts and civilian houses within Pakistan on Monday.

The clashes have ceased and the situation is calm in the border areas in Khost and Paktika provinces, a Taliban government spokesperson said Tuesday.

“Silence prevails on the border today, and security forces have reinforced their positions.”

Islamabad said it had targeted militants responsible for a recent attack on its soil, but Taliban authorities said eight civilians, all women and children, were killed in the bombardment.

A senior police officer in the Pakistani border district of Kurram told Agence France-Presse that Afghan security forces struck the area with mortar shells.

“As a result, three security posts and five houses of civilians suffered partial damage, with nine individuals, including four security personnel wounded,” the officer told AFP, asking not to be named.

Border tensions between the two countries have steadily escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021.

Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban government of harboring militant fighters, allowing them to strike on Pakistani soil with impunity.

Kabul has denied the allegations.

WITH AFP