Pakistan shuts border with Afghanistan following exchanges of fire — Here's what triggered the conflict

Pakistan has closed its border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday after exchanges of fire between the forces of the two nations, Pakistani officials told Reuters.

This situation was triggered by Afghan security forces launching attacks on Pakistani border posts late Saturday in what the Taliban government described as retaliation for repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace.

Afghanistan, a landlocked country, has a 2,600-km (1,600-mile) -long border with Pakistan.

What happened in the weekend?

Afghan troops reportedly opened fire on Pakistani border posts late Saturday, which according to the country's ministry of defence was a form of retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes launched in Afghanistan earlier in the week.

Pakistan confirmed that it had responded with gun and artillery fire, with security officials claiming that a number of Afghan border posts were destroyed in these retaliatory attacks.

The bulk of the exchange of fire was mostly over on Sunday morning, Pakistani security officials told Reuters. However, local officials and residents in Pakistan's Kurram area reported that intermittent gunfire continued.

Which border crossings have been closed?

Pakistan's two main border crossings with Afghanistan, at Torkham and Chaman, were closed on Sunday, along with at least three minor crossings, at Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan, local officials told Reuters.

There was no immediate response from Kabul regarding the closing of the border. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Sunday said their operation against Pakistan had finished on Saturday midnight after Saudi Arabia and Qatar intervened.

"There is no kind of threat in any part of Afghanistan's territory," Mujahid said on Sunday.

Background of the cross-border tensions

The recent spike in hostility comes amid accusations by Islamabad that the Taliban administration is harbouring militants who launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul, however, denies this charge.

The TTP, a separate but closely linked entity with the Afghan Taliban, has been fighting to overthrow the Islamabad government and replace it with a strict Islamist system of governance, the news report noted.

The TTP, a separate but closely linked entity Afghan Taliban has been fighting to overthrow the Islamabad government and replace it with a strict Islamic-led system of governance, the news report noted.