Heavy shelling, explosions spark fear along Pakistan-Afghanistan border
By Mushtaq Ali and Hedayatshah Hedayat
LAL PUR, Afghanistan/PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 4 (Reuters) - Several people living along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan said they were considering fleeing their homes as heavy shelling and explosions marked a seventh day of fighting between troops from both sides on Wednesday.
The South Asian allies-turned-foes are in their worst fighting in years following Pakistani airstrikes on major Afghan cities last week, adding volatility to a region already on edge over U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Islamabad says its airstrikes, which have at times targeted the Taliban government, aim to stop militants using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan. The Taliban denies aiding militant groups.
Rana Sanaullah, political adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told Geo TV Pakistan had achieved most targets but operations continued.
"Most training centres have been eliminated," he said, adding Pakistan wanted "verifiable evidence" Afghan soil would not be used for attacks.
SHELLING STARTS AS VILLAGERS BREAK RAMADAN FAST
Residents in Pakistan's northwest said fighting often begins in the evening, putting homes in the line of fire as families break their Ramadan fast.
"There is complete silence in the day, but the moment we sit for iftar dinner, the two sides start shelling," Farid Khan Shinwari from Landi Kotal near the Torkham border crossing, told Reuters.
"We open our fast in extremely difficult situations, as you never know when a shell can hit your house."
Across the border, Afghans reported similar fighting and displacement.
Hundreds sheltered in makeshift tents on an open dirt field while others had no shelter. Officials say about 1,500 families have fled their homes.
The Norwegian Refugee Council said on X that a Pakistani missile strike hit near a camp in Afghanistan housing people displaced by the 2025 Kunar earthquake, killing three, injuring seven and forcing about 650 families to flee again.
Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
Hazrat Meer, who fled the fighting from Torkhamto Lalpur district, urged authorities to stop the conflict.
"We only want to return to our homes," he told Reuters.
Fighting along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) border has ebbed and flowed for a week, with both sides claiming heavy losses and territorial gains.
TURKEY HAS OFFERED TO MEDIATE
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Ankara would help restore a ceasefire, the Turkish Presidency said on Tuesday, as other potential mediators have been drawn into the Gulf conflict.
Both sides reported heavy fire on Wednesday, with Afghanistan's Defence Ministry saying Taliban forces shot down a Pakistani drone and captured seven border posts.
The ministry said 110 civilians, including 65 women and children, had been killed since the fighting began and 123 wounded. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported 42 deaths.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar disputed the figures, saying Pakistan targets only "terrorists and support infrastructure" and not civilian sites.
Tarar told media Pakistan struck "ammunition and critical equipment" at the Bagram Air Base north of Kabul on Saturday, once a key U.S. command centre during the 20-year Afghan war.
(Reporting by Hedayatshah Hedayat in Lal Pur, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar and Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Additional reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad; Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by Alex Richardson, Ariba Shahid and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
