Pakistan’s security forces said that an attack had been foiled against their troops in the border area of Gulistan involving Afghan Taliban militants which left several Afghans dead in the cross-border firing. This comes after the Pakistani airstrikes on 10 targets inside Afghanistan including Kandahar, Paktia and Khost following reports of drone attacks in the Pakistani territory. The Taliban rejected the charges and vowed to respond accordingly, but Pakistan blamed Afghanistan for the presence of cross-border militants, thereby increasing hostility and obstructing the efforts for peace by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.