00:00For more, we can cross now to Islamabad and speak with our correspondent there, Shaheib Walla.
00:06Shaheib, so I understand that attacks have been continuing.
00:11What more can you tell us about the situation?
00:17Yes, indeed. The situation remains quite tense.
00:20And according to the latest information, localized clashes are still going on along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
00:27The Taliban spokesperson has also confirmed that Pakistani aircrafts were still flying over Afghan territory.
00:34On the other hand, the Pakistani Information Minister has said that armed drones were used by Taliban to attack multiple
00:42locations inside Pakistan,
00:44although no major losses have been reported in these drone attacks.
00:49The tone in both Islamabad and Kabul still remains quite hostile.
00:54We saw that the spokesperson of the Afghan government held a press conference in Kabul,
00:59stating that they will respond to Pakistan in a tit-for-tat manner.
01:03On the other hand, at a press conference held at the Pakistani Army headquarters in Rawalpindi,
01:10the army spokesperson stated that Afghan Taliban had attacked 53 border posts yesterday evening,
01:19he asserted that Pakistan's overnight airstrikes were a retaliation of these attacks,
01:25where Pakistan's air force targeted military bases, logistic facilities and supply depots of the Taliban in the border provinces
01:33and also in Kabul, the capital of the country, where some residents have told us that they were woken up
01:40in the early hours of today morning
01:42by sounds of heavy explosions, and afterwards they were horrified by the sounds of anti-aircraft guns
01:48that were trying to target Pakistani fighter jets that were flying over the city for almost an hour.
01:55For now, it appears that the calm has returned to the Afghan capital for the time being, but the tensions
02:03remain very high.
02:04And according to security sources that we have talked to in Islamabad,
02:07if the escalation does not stop, Pakistani strikes could spread further.
02:11Now, Shahid, we've also seen that Saudi Arabia, Qatar are attempting to de-escalate the situation.
02:20How likely is it that both sides are going to come back to the table for talks,
02:26or is Pakistan planning on continuing until its objectives are met?
02:33Well, tensions between the two countries have been very high for several months,
02:37and the land border has remained closed since the last October, following major clashes.
02:43And we have seen that, as you said, that some countries in the region which remain closed,
02:48which actually have close ties with Pakistan and Afghanistan,
02:52are currently trying to ease the tensions, including Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
02:57It is worth noting that Qatar and Turkey has already played a vital mediating role between the two countries
03:04and helped establish a fragile ceasefire after the deadly clashes in October last year.
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