Pakistan carried out air strikes on Afghanistan's major cities overnight, officials in Islamabad and Kabul said on Friday, escalating months of border clashes between the Islamic neighbours.

The Afghan Taliban said it had responded to the Pakistani strikes, which targeted Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar.

The declaration on Friday comes hours after after Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah ⁠Mujahid said Afghanistan was carrying out “large-scale offensive operations” against the Pakistani military “along the Durand Line ” that separates the two countries.

Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.

The latest escalation of violence between the neighboring countries makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire appear increasingly shaky.