Pak strikes 10 Afghan sites after accusing it of attacks as tensions rise

Pakistan said early Thursday that it had carried out airstrikes on 10 sites in Afghanistan that it said were used to launch drone attacks against Pakistan a day earlier, marking a sharp escalation between the neighbours that threatens mediation efforts by regional powers.

The announcement by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar came on X after officials said Afghanistan's Taliban forces had fired eight drones and shelled Pakistani border posts after Pakistani troops foiled what they described as a cross-border infiltration attempt by militants.

There was no immediate response from Kabul to the latest Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's Taliban government, denied Wednesday that Afghan Taliban forces had carried out any attacks.

The conflicting statements came two days after Pakistani fighter jets struck sites in eastern Afghanistan that Islamabad said were militant hideouts.

Pakistani officials said Wednesday that security force