Afghan Taliban forces targeted “several points” in neighboring Pakistan, Afghanistan’s defense ministry said on Saturday, days after Pakistani aircraft carried out aerial bombardment inside Afghanistan.

At least 19 Pakistani soldiers and three Afghan civilians died after heavy clashes erupted between security forces of the two neighbouring nations at the border crossing points, media reports said on Saturday.

Taliban forces struck “several points” in Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan. Border hostilities between the two countries have surged since the Afghan Taliban took power in 2021.