Pakistan’s armed forces carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan during the night between March 12 and 13 under Operation Ghazb lil Haq, targeting multiple militant hideouts and infrastructure, security sources said on Friday.

Pakistani security sources said the military had carried out overnight strikes on four militant hideouts in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia province, including one targeting an oil storage facility at the Kandahar airfield.

One of the strikes hit the infrastructure of the 313 Corps in Kabul, which was reportedly destroyed during the operation.

In Kandahar, Pakistani forces targeted the Tarawo terrorist camp, while an oil storage site at an airfield and its adjoining logistics infrastructure were also destroyed during the aerial operation, sources added.

Another air strike targeted the Shirinaw terrorist camp in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, according to the security sources.

Officials said operations under Operation Ghazb lil Haq will continue until the intended objectives are fully achieved.

Earlier in the day, the Afghan Taliban accused Pakistan of bombing the fuel depot of private airline Kam Air near Afghanistan’s Kandahar airport.

This was a significant escalation in the worst conflict in years between the neighbors despite China’s efforts to mediate.

Following Beijing’s stepped-up mediation efforts, no Pakistani air strikes were reported by either side in over a week until the bombing in Kandahar.

Ground clashes along the 2,600 km (1,600 mile) border had also tapered off, although there had been intermittent bouts of fighting.

“The company (Kam Air) supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as to United Nations aircraft,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Pakistan also carried out bombings in other areas, including the capital Kabul, with women and children among those killed as civilian homes were targeted in some locations, he said, adding that the aggression would “not go unanswered”.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said it carried out drone strikes in response on a Pakistani military base in the northern city of Kohat, causing heavy damage.

Pakistan’s military and information ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

However, security sources confirmed to Nukta that three suspected drones were seen flying in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which were neutralized and brought down using an anti-drone electronic jamming system.

“Following the interception, debris from the drones fell at multiple locations and caused heavy explosions; no casualties were reported,” the source added.

The fighting erupted last month with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds. Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of sovereignty as it launched retaliatory attacks.

Militancy has been a bone of contention between allies-turned-foes Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad saying Kabul provides safe haven to militants executing attacks on Pakistan.

The Taliban, however, denies the allegation and says militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem.

Reuters had reported on Thursday that mediation efforts by China, which had been urging an end to the violence, had helped ease the fighting.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi had also said that Islamabad and Beijing were engaged in a “dialogue process” on Afghanistan.

*Aamir Abbasi and Kamran Ali also contributed to this report