KABUL: Border confrontations and unprecedented Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan have reportedly heightened already simmering tensions with the Taliban rule in the war-torn country.

According to residents quoted by RFE/RL, Pakistan started air raids over eastern Afghanistan on April 16, killing hundreds of civilians. Islamabad claimed it was pursuing terrorists from the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The airstrikes sparked unusually vehement retaliation, with the Taliban voicing threats against a long-time ally.

Experts say the Taliban's refusal to crack down on the TTP, a close ideological and organisational ally, is at the foundation of the rising tensions.

In recent years, the terrorist organisation has increased its insurgency against Islamabad from its bases in Afghanistan.  Peace discussions between Islamabad and the TTP, often known as the Pakistani Taliban, have been mediated by the Afghan Taliban. The militants have resumed cross-border operations against Pakistani security forces since a temporary month-long ceasefire ended and peace talks collapsed in December.

"Pakistan is enraged that the Taliban are following in its footsteps by supporting a militant group opposed to a neighbouring country," Sami Yousafzai, an Afghan journalist and pundit who has followed the Taliban since its inception in the 1990s, said.

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