Afghanistan has said that it stopped an attempted airstrike by Pakistan on Bagram airbase, the former United States military base located north of Kabul, as fighting between the two countries continued for a fourth straight day. The latest escalation follows months of tension along the border that flared up again on Thursday.

According to Afghan authorities, the violence began when Afghanistan launched attacks along the frontier. Pakistani forces responded with strikes along the border and from the air. Pakistan has since declared that it is in “open war” with Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the police headquarters of Parwan province, where Bagram airbase is situated, released a statement saying that several Pakistani military jets entered Afghan airspace at around 5 am and “attempted to bomb Bagram airbase”. The statement added that Afghan forces responded using “anti-aircraft and missile defence systems” and were able to prevent the attack. Pakistan did not immediately respond to these claims.

Diplomatic attempts to stop the fighting have so far failed. Countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been involved in efforts to bring about a truce, but no agreement has been reached.

The situation has raised concern internationally, especially because the region is known to have a presence of militant groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State, which have been attempting to re-emerge.

Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of not taking action against militant groups that have been carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban-led government in Kabul has rejected these accusations. Many of the attacks in Pakistan have been claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as TTP. The group has increased its assaults in Pakistan since 2021, the year the Taliban returned to power in Kabul.

On Friday, Pakistan acknowledged carrying out bombings in key Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar. Kandahar is home to Afghanistan’s supreme leader. The admission marked a significant step in the current conflict.

Security was tightened in Kabul on Sunday, with more checkpoints visible across the city centre. The increased presence of security forces reflected growing tensions and fears of further escalation.

The Taliban government’s deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, said that Pakistani firing had killed 36 civilians across several provinces since Thursday. Islamabad has not commented on this claim. Fitrat also said that more than 80 Pakistani soldiers had been killed and that 27 Pakistani military posts had been captured. Earlier, the Afghan government had put the death toll among its own troops at 13.

Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, provided a different account. He said airstrikes had targeted 46 locations across Afghanistan since the start of the operation. According to Tarar, Pakistan had killed 415 Afghan soldiers. Islamabad also stated earlier that 12 of its own soldiers had died in the fighting.

Residents in Afghanistan’s Khost and Nangarhar provinces told AFP that sporadic clashes were continuing on Sunday afternoon. Fighting was also reported overnight at the Torkham border crossing, an important entry point for Afghans returning from Pakistan. The Nangarhar province information department confirmed the clashes in that area.

A spokesperson for a military unit reported heavy fighting overnight in Paktia province. Afghan officials said that their border offensive launched on Thursday was in response to earlier Pakistani airstrikes that had killed civilians. Pakistan has said those earlier strikes were aimed at militants.

Analysts noted that this week’s escalation marked the first time Pakistan has directed airstrikes at Afghan government facilities. In previous operations, Pakistan said it targeted militant hideouts rather than government infrastructure.

Claims about casualties from both sides have been difficult to verify independently, as access to some of the affected areas remains limited.