An explosion followed by successive gunfire were heard in central Kabul on Sunday, AFP journalists reported, with the Taliban government saying Afghan forces were shooting at a fresh incursion by Pakistani aircraft.

Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Monday that their militaries had targeted each other's posts across the border as their

Afghanistan thwarted attempted airstrikes on Bagram Air Base, the former U.S. military base north of Kabul, authorities said Sunday, while cross-border fighting between

The development of an air force in Afghanistan is closely linked to the Soviet Union. In the 1950s, with Soviet assistance, Bagram Air Base was constructed, becoming a core element of the country’s aviation infrastructure.

The Taliban-ruled state has suffered Pakistani strikes against government installations over the past week following accusations, which it denies, that it harbors militants.

Pakistan has carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces, Afghanistan’s government spokesperson says.

KABUL, March 22 (Reuters) - India is considering whether to pay for repairs to grounded helicopters and transport planes from Afghanistan's air force, signalling a willingness to step up military assistance for Kabul that has irked Pakistan in the past.