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The Taliban government confirmed that its forces attacked Pakistani troops in several mountainous areas in the north.

According to the Taliban, the operations, described as “retaliatory,” followed accusations that Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its borders. The number of casualties remains unknown.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the Afghan attacks were “unprovoked” and that civilians were targeted, warning that his country’s forces would “respond with a stone for every brick.”

Islamabad accused Kabul of harboring terrorists who target Pakistan from Afghan soil, a claim the Taliban government denied.

According to the BBC, both sides used small arms and artillery fire in the Kunar–Kurram region.

The Pakistani army has not issued an official statement, but a security source told the BBC that firing occurred at several border points, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral, and Baramcha.

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) to operate from its territory and wage war against the government in Islamabad, reinforcing efforts to impose a strict Islamic regime.

The Afghan Taliban government has always denied this.

The latest tensions coincide with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s historic week-long visit to India — the first since the Taliban returned to power.

As part of a diplomatic thaw, Delhi reopened its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed four years ago after the Taliban’s takeover.

Naqvi warned, “Afghanistan will receive a response like India did, so that no one dares look at Pakistan with ill intent.”

Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defense agreement with Pakistan last month, called for restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.

Qatar also expressed concern over Pakistan–Afghanistan border tensions and urged both sides to prioritize “dialogue, diplomacy, and moderation.”