Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has confirmed that its Air Force carried out airstrikes on ISIS hideouts inside Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, marking a significant escalation in the deteriorating relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
The strikes, which Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence said targeted facilities in the Saranan area of Pishin district in Balochistan and locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, came just days after Pakistani military operations reportedly killed at least 36 civilians in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military responded by stating it had shot down four drones launched from Afghan territory, describing them as "rudimentary" and neutralised through "sophisticated countermeasures".
Islamabad rejected Afghanistan's claims of conducting airstrikes, stating that no evidence such as satellite imagery or flight data had been provided to substantiate the assertions.
The Pakistani military accused the Afghan Taliban of "patronisation and support of terrorist outfits".
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence maintained that the targeted locations were being used as operational centres to plan sabotage missions and attacks against civilians inside Afghanistan.
The ministry warned that any location used to undermine Afghanistan's security would continue to be targeted, stating: "We will target every location that poses a threat to our security. "
The Afghan operation followed Pakistan's ground and air strikes on Sunday in Afghanistan's eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.
Islamabad claimed the operation killed around 25 militants and was launched in retaliation for a series of attacks targeting security installations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the Rangers headquarters in Karachi.
Afghan authorities disputed these figures, reporting that at least 36 civilians were killed and more than 160 others were wounded during the Pakistani operations.
The escalating military confrontation has triggered a fresh diplomatic standoff, with Afghanistan summoning Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires in Kabul on Monday to lodge a "strong and resolute protest" over what it described as violations of Afghanistan's airspace and the bombing of civilian homes.
The two countries have been locked in an on-off cycle of cross-border strikes since February, when Pakistan declared "open war" on Afghanistan.
Multiple rounds of mediation, including Chinese-brokered talks in April, have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire between the neighbours.