Pakistan's military claimed on Saturday that its airstrikes and border operations killed more than 330 Afghan forces, mostly Taliban fighters, amid intensifying cross-border hostilities. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that over 331 Afghan Taliban forces had been killed and more than 500 wounded during the ongoing actions, which targeted military installations in provinces including Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost.

The operations followed Afghan attacks on Pakistani border posts late Thursday, prompting Pakistan to declare an "open war" on the Taliban regime. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif accused the Taliban leadership of harboring terrorists, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan that killed dozens. Prime Minister's spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi reported 297 Afghan fighters killed, 450 injured, 89 posts destroyed, and 29 locations hit by air, though these figures remain unverified independently.

Afghanistan disputed the casualty tolls, reporting far fewer military deaths and alleging civilian casualties from the strikes. Officials claimed eight Taliban fighters were killed, 11 wounded, and 13 civilians injured in Nangarhar province, with at least 11 people killed in civilian areas overall. The Afghan Defense Ministry said its forces attacked Pakistani bases in Miranshah and Spin Wam, destroying installations and inflicting heavy casualties, including 55 Pakistani soldiers killed and 19 posts seized. Kabul also claimed to have shot down a Pakistani fighter jet over Jalalabad and captured the pilot, a report denied by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry as "totally untrue."

The escalation traces back to February 21, when Pakistan launched initial airstrikes on alleged TTP and ISIS-K camps in eastern Afghanistan following suicide bombings in Islamabad and Bajaur that killed dozens. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported 13-37 civilian deaths from those early strikes. Tensions have simmered for months over the porous 2,500-km Durand Line border, with Pakistan repeatedly urging the Taliban to curb militants using Afghan soil for attacks.

International calls for restraint mounted Saturday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic resolution. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, and China offered mediation, while U.S. President Donald Trump praised Pakistan's leadership and affirmed its right to self-defense. Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani expressed openness to talks despite condemning the strikes.

Fighting continued into Saturday along the border, with residents fleeing areas like Torkham and reports of panic in Kabul from explosions. Pakistan reported 12-23 of its soldiers killed in the clashes.