Pakistan and Afghanistan traded attacks in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the countries that Pakistan's defence minister said Friday means they are now in "open war."

It was a night that saw a serious escalation in violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Pakistan launching airstrikes in Afghanistan - including its capital city, Kabul. Other places struck were in Paktia and Kandahar provinces, the latter a stronghold and the birthplace of the Taliban movement.

Pakistan Airstrike on Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia LIVE Updates: Early Friday morning, explosions and aircraft sounds were heard in Kabul, just hours after Afghanistan claimed it had attacked Pakistani border posts.

Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified overnight, with both sides claiming heavy losses and the Pakistani defence minister saying his country was in an "

Afghanistan claims it shot down a Pakistani aircraft as both sides trade allegations and casualty figures following Islamabad’s launch of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq.

Amid the escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kabul is claiming that it has shot down a Pakistani aircraft entering its airspace.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said the Pakistani armed forces have the capability to “crush any aggressive ambitions,” while defence minister Khawaja Asif declared that “our patience has reached its limit.” | Wor