Heavy fighting broke out late on Saturday between Afghan and Pakistani security forces along their shared border, following accusations from Kabul that Pakistan had carried out air strikes on the Afghan capital.

“In retaliation for the air strikes by Pakistani forces, Taliban border forces in the east engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani forces’ posts in various border areas,” Afghanistan’s military said in a statement, according to news agency AFP.

The Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday that Pakistan had also bombed a civilian market in the border province of Paktika in south-eastern Afghanistan. Local residents told the BBC’s Afghan service that several shops were destroyed in the strike.

Speculation spread on social media that Pakistan had targeted senior leaders of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including its chief, Noor Wali Mehsud. Afghan officials later said Mehsud was safe.

Pakistan has neither confirmed nor denied launching attacks inside Afghanistan.

At a press conference in Peshawar on Friday, Pakistani military spokesperson General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Afghanistan was being used as a “base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan.”

“To safeguard Pakistani lives and properties, what measures need to be taken will be taken,” he added.

Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the TTP to operate from Afghan territory — a claim the Taliban government has consistently denied.

2024 had been one of the most violent years for Pakistantan with more than 2,500 people killed in violence as both countries tried to reset their relationship.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had visited Kabul in April, with senior leadership on both sides holding a series of meetings, often mediated by China. That process led to upgraded diplomatic ties and a brief lull in violence over the summer.

However, in recent days, Pakistan has seen an escalation in violence. A string of attacks on its forces has killed dozens of soldiers, mostly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which shares a border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani military on Friday said it killed more than 30 fighters involved in a recent attack in the tribal district of Orakzai.