Afghan security forces attack Pakistani border posts as 'retaliation' for Kabul air strikes
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital Kabul
Afghan security forces have attacked Pakistani border posts in response to what the Taliban government called repeated violations of its territory and airspace, underscoring deepening security tensions between the neighbours.
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Afghan state-run media said more than a dozen Pakistani soldiers were killed, but there was no immediate confirmation from Islamabad.
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital Kabul and a market in the country's east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault.
The Taliban government's defence ministry said early on Sunday its forces had conducted "retaliatory and successful operations" along the border.
It added: "If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan's territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation's borders and will deliver a strong response."
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State-run media RTA said the "revenge operation" had captured three Pakistani military posts, resulting in the deaths of 15 soldiers in an area bordering southern Helmand province.
The Torkham border crossing, one of two main trade routes between the two countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8am.
Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harbouring members of the banned group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned Afghanistan for the Saturday night gunfire, warning it would be given a "befitting reply like India" - a reference to a crisis earlier this year that saw the two nuclear-armed rivals step closer to war.
Qatar's foreign ministry expressed concern over the escalations and the potential repercussions for the security and stability of the region. It urged both sides to prioritise "dialogue, diplomacy and restraint".
A senior Pakistani security official said Afghan forces opened fire in several north-western border areas in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the districts of Chitral, Bajaur, Mohmand, Angoor Adda and Kurram.
The official also said troops responded with heavy weaponry near Tirah in Khyber district and across the frontier in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.
A second Pakistani security official said at least one person was killed and another injured when a mortar shell fired from the Afghan side landed in Tiri village, Kurram district.
The two countries share a 1,622-mile border known as the Durand Line, but Afghanistan has never recognised it.