Moscow urges Islamabad, Kabul to halt hostilities

MOSCOW, Feb 27 (KUNA) -- Russia on Friday called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to immediately halt hostilities and stop military escalation, voicing willingness to act as a mediator in de-escalation efforts.
In a press release, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow is following with extreme concern the rapidly aggravating developments on the Afghan-Pakistani border amid the exchange of airstrikes and clashes between both countries' armed forces.
The ministry underlined the need to stop the dangerous confrontation and bet back to the negotiating table through political and diplomatic channels.
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan and Afghanistan traded heavy cross border strikes and security forces of both the neighboring countries claimed to kill a number of soldiers. (end) dan.mt