Afghanistan and Pakistan are engaged in a dangerous exchange of shelling and mortar fire across their shared border, escalating tensions after Pakistan's defense minister declared "open war" on its Taliban-run neighbor. This latest conflict began late Thursday night with Taliban attacks on Pakistani positions, which Kabul stated were retaliation for Pakistan's weekend bombing of alleged militant camps that killed at least 18 people. In response, Pakistan launched "Operation Righteous Fury" early Friday with airstrikes targeting Afghan Taliban defense facilities in Kabul, Paktia, and Kandahar. Casualty figures differ, with Pakistan claiming 133 Afghan Taliban fighters killed and Afghanistan reporting eight soldiers dead. This recurring violence, exacerbated by a surge in Islamist attacks in Pakistan blamed on Afghan-based militants, threatens regional instability.