KABUL (Dunya News) – Afghan officials warned on Tuesday that any attack from Pakistan would be met with an immediate response and that, if Afghanistan is attacked, Islamabad could be directly targeted. The warning follows failed peace talks and inflammatory chants at a recent Afghan passing-out parade, heightening tensions between the neighbours. Afghan authorities have publicly put Pakistan on notice, saying Kabul will hit back immediately if Pakistani forces carry out any strikes on Afghan soil, and promising that Islamabad could be a direct target if Afghanistan is attacked. The blunt warning comes after talks between the two sides in Istanbul failed to bridge differences, leaving both capitals on edge.

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Tensions have been fuelled further by a passing-out parade in Afghanistan where fighters reportedly sang inflammatory verses calling for attacks on Pakistani cities — chants that critics say are pouring oil on the fire and risk dragging the region into a wider confrontation. The warning arrives amid a recent spike in cross-border incidents and a deadly blast in Islamabad that has already put Pakistan on high alert, complicating any diplomatic back-and-forth and leaving observers worried that both sides are playing with fire.