Pakistan urges Afghanistan to act against terror groups

Afghanistan's Taliban government accused Pakistan on Friday of carrying out airstrikes on its territory and warned of "consequences" as Islamabad said it was taking action against militants.

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Pakistan has called on the Afghan government to take action against terrorist groups operating from its territory, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan.

Speaking at a weekly briefing, the spokesperson said that the issue of cross-border terrorism has been raised with Afghan authorities on multiple occasions. He reaffirmed that Pakistan respects Afghanistan's sovereignty but expects that Afghan soil will not be used against Pakistan.

The Taliban administration blamed Pakistan for airstrikes in Kabul, the capital, late on Thursday and in the eastern province of Paktika around midnight.

"This is an unprecedented, violent and provocative act in the history of Afghanistan and Pakistan," an Afghan Defence Ministry statement said. "If the situation escalates further following these actions, the consequences will be the responsibility of the Pakistani military." According to the Taliban, there were no casualties from the airstrikes.