Pakistan has launched retaliatory strikes on a military facility in Afghanistan's Kandahar province following drone attacks by Taliban forces on Pakistani cities. The escalation occurred on Saturday after drones targeted civilian areas and military installations across Pakistan, prompting a strong response from Islamabad.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the overnight drone incursions, stating that Kabul had "crossed a red line by attempting to target our civilians." Pakistan's military described the drones as locally produced and rudimentary, noting that they were intercepted before striking their intended targets.

Debris from the downed drones caused injuries, including to two children in Quetta, as well as civilians in Kohat and Rawalpindi. A security source reported to AFP that airspace around Islamabad was temporarily closed upon detection of the threats.

Islamabad identified the Kandahar facility as the launch point for the drone attacks and a base for cross-border rebel activities. This marks the most significant escalation in a conflict that has intensified since late February, when Pakistan initiated operations against Pakistan Taliban fighters allegedly operating from Afghan soil.

Pakistan has further accused Kabul of harbouring militants from the ISIL (ISIS) Khorasan province affiliate, charges that the Taliban government has firmly rejected. Tensions have simmered amid mutual allegations of supporting insurgent groups.

The latest Pakistani strikes follow earlier operations from Thursday into Friday, targeting sites in Kabul and Afghanistan's eastern border provinces. Those attacks resulted in four deaths in Kabul, including women and children, and two more in the east.

In Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi neighbourhood, a resident recounted his home being destroyed, leaving him trapped under rubble until neighbours rescued him. He described believing it was his "last breath" during the ordeal.

A local representative emphasised to AFP that the victims were "ordinary people, poor people" uninvolved in the conflict. Pakistani aircraft also hit a fuel depot of private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport, which an official said supplied aid groups like the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, insisting there were no military installations there.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence claimed its forces captured a Pakistani border post and killed 14 soldiers in response. Islamabad dismissed this as fantasy, with the prime minister's spokesperson urging the Taliban to dismantle militant networks on Afghan soil instead.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reports at least 75 civilians killed and 193 injured since fighting intensified on 26 February, including 24 children. The UN refugee agency notes that around 1,15,000 people have been displaced.

This Pakistan-Afghanistan crisis unfolds amid broader regional strains, exacerbated by the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began shortly after Islamabad-Kabul tensions rose. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for dialogue, warning that further military action would aggravate the situation, even as Pakistani aircraft operated over Kandahar.

Agencies