By MUNIR AHMED and ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN Associated Press
Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded attacks in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the countries. Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Friday the two countries are now in "open war." Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack on Pakistan late Thursday, saying it was in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan then carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces Friday. Tensions have been high between the neighbors for months. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of harboring militant groups that then stage attacks across the border and also of allying with its archrival India. A ceasefire ended intense fighting in October, although the two sides have occasionally traded fire since then.
Pakistani officials say a suicide bomber targeted a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and wounding at least 169 others. It was a rare attack in the capital of Pakistan as its Western-allied government struggles to rein in a surge in militant attacks across the country. Some of the wounded in the attack on the sprawling mosque of Khadija Al-Kubra were reported to be in critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents transporting the wounded to nearby hospitals. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Militant groups across Pakistan often target security forces and civilians.
On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II.
By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN and SIDDIQULLAH ALIZAI Associated Press
A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake has shaken northern Afghanistan, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 640 others. The quake struck before dawn on Monday, damaging the historic Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif. In the town of Khulm, near the epicenter, residents have been digging through the rubble of collapsed homes. The impoverished country often struggles to respond to natural disasters, especially in remote regions. The Ministry of Defense announced that rescue and emergency teams have reached the affected areas. The United Nations in Afghanistan said its teams are on the ground assessing needs and delivering urgent aid.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have announced a ceasefire following days of the deadliest clashes in years that killed dozens of people on both sides of the border. The pause came after appeals from major regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The violence has threatened to further destabilize a region where groups including the Islamic State and al-Qaida are trying to resurface. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring armed groups. The country's Taliban rulers deny it. Pakistan has seen a growing number of militant attacks since 2021, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Key border crossings remain closed.
A Taliban government spokesman says the death toll from a major earthquake in Afghanistan has risen to 2,205. The shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck the mountainous and remote eastern part of the country late Sunday, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most of the casualties have been in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep river valleys separated by high mountains.. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but rough terrain and funding cuts are hindering relief. Afghanistan has already been facing drought, a weak economy, and the recent return of some 2 million refugees.
On Aug. 30, 1916, on his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackelton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for four and a half months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is praising Qatar for helping the U.S. secure the release of an American held by the Taliban for more than two years. Rubio said Thursday George Glezmann will be reunited with his wife. The airline mechanic from Atlanta is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry confirms the release on "humanitarian grounds." Glezmann is being accompanied back to the U.S. by Adam Boehler, who's been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trump's administration. Glezmann was abducted while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist. Glezmann was seized by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained.
Today in history: On Nov. 13, 2015, Islamic State militants carried out a set of coordinated attacks in Paris at the national stadium, in a crowded concert hall, in restaurants and on streets, killing 130 people in the worst attack on French soil since World War II.
