Pakistan, Afghanistan trade fire as Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran talks

March 30, 2026 2:21 PM

Pakistan, Afghanistan trade fire as Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran talks

Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause in fighting, escalating tensions in the volatile region as Islamabad said it hopes to host potential talks between the U.S. and Iran. The border clashes came on Sunday, the day Pakistan hosted regional powers to discuss de-escalation in the war in the Middle East, with an announcement that Islamabad could host the talks in coming days. Both sides used artillery and heavy weapons to hit...

Afghanistan fires at Pakistani jets over Kabul as conflict intensifies

March 1, 2026 12:07 PM

Afghanistan fires at Pakistani jets over Kabul as conflict intensifies

Afghanistan said it was firing at Pakistani jets in Kabul after blasts and gunfire rocked the capital on Sunday, compounding instability in a region rattled by U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks on U.S. targets in Gulf states. The Taliban-ruled state has suffered Pakistani strikes against government installations over the past week following accusations, which it denies, that it harbours militants. The heaviest fighting in years between the neighbours has raised fears of a ...

Afghans fear further escalation after Pakistani air strikes shake Kabul

February 27, 2026 6:47 PM

Afghans fear further escalation after Pakistani air strikes shake Kabul

Pakistani air strikes hit a weapons depot on the western outskirts of Kabul overnight, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the Afghan capital and left residents fearing further violence. The strikes were part of a sharp escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, with the once-close allies also trading cross-border attacks and Pakistan describing the situation as open conflict. Video showed thick plumes of black smoke rising above Darulaman...

Blast kills seven at Chinese-run restaurant in Afghan capital

January 19, 2026 10:31 PM

Blast kills seven at Chinese-run restaurant in Afghan capital

An explosion tore through a Chinese-run restaurant in a hotel in a heavily guarded part of Afghanistan's capital on Monday, killing a Chinese national and six Afghans and injuring several others including a child, officials said. The restaurant was in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw neighbourhood of Kabul that includes office buildings, shopping complexes and embassies, police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said. The district is considered one of the safest in the city. The Chinese noodle restaurant wa...

Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan following exchanges of fire

October 12, 2025 1:08 PM

Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan following exchanges of fire

Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday, Pakistani officials said, following exchanges of fire between the forces of the two countries. Afghan troops opened fire on Pakistani border posts late Saturday, with the country’s ministry of defence saying this was in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan earlier in the week. Pakistan said that it had responded with gun and artillery fire. Pakistani security officials said that a number of Afghan border posts were d...

India airlifts 21 tonnes of earthquake aid to Kabul, says EAM Jaishankar

September 2, 2025 11:04 PM

India airlifts 21 tonnes of earthquake aid to Kabul, says EAM Jaishankar

India’s earthquake assistance has reached Kabul by air, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced on Tuesday. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, “Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air. 21 tonnes of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitizers, water purification tablets, ORS solutions and medical consumables were airli...

Panel studying US war in Afghanistan holds first public hearing

July 20, 2024 4:51 PM

Panel studying US war in Afghanistan holds first public hearing

A commission created by Congress to conduct an independent review of the 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan held its first public hearing on Friday, pledging to be "unflinching" in examining how and why key decisions were made and who made them. But, while accountability "is centrally important, our focus is less on assigning credit or blame ... than on extracting and applying its lessons" for future conflicts, said co-chair Colin Jackson. The panel's first public hearing came just over a month b...

Pakistan asks Afghanistan to turn in TTP terrorists involved in attack on Chinese nationals

September 16, 2024 6:16 PM

Pakistan asks Afghanistan to turn in TTP terrorists involved in attack on Chinese nationals

Pakistan has demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan hand over terrorists from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were involved in the attack on Chinese engineers in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reported ARY News. The attack, which took place on March 26 in Bisham city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla district, claimed the lives of five Chinese engineers and one Pakistani citizen. The incident occurred when the convoy was traveling between Islamabad and ...