Multiple international and regional bodies have urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to halt fighting and protect civilians amid an escalation of violence along their shared border. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations, and the Iranian foreign ministry each called for restraint, access to healthcare, and a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul on Friday, with Islamabad's defence minister declaring the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes.

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Red Cross calls for restraint and civilian protection

"We are witnessing a profound escalation of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement, calling for "restraint and de-escalation".

She highlighted that the upsurge in violence was harming people in a region that had "already endured decades of conflict, displacement and loss".

"They have seen and felt the impact of war on their loved ones in their communities," she said.

Spoljaric stressed that under international law, "civilians, the wounded and others not -- or no longer -- taking part in the fighting must be protected".

"Humanitarian assistance must reach all those affected (and) hospitals must be able to operate and access to essential services must be guaranteed," she added.

"These are not privileges," insisted the head of the ICRC, which is the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions.

"They are obligations under international humanitarian law."

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Spoljaric said her organisation was "preparing an operational response to humanitarian needs on the ground", in cooperation with the Afghan and Pakistan Red Crescent societies and state authorities.

"The focus on both sides of the border now is to support health facilities treating people who were wounded by hostilities," she said.

She stressed however that "no humanitarian response can compensate for political will to respect the rules of war and prioritise de-escalation".

Iran urges neighbouring states to avoid escalation

The Iranian foreign ministry urged neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday to "refrain" from escalatory actions as Islamabad declared that the two countries were in an "open war".

In a statement, the ministry called on the "two sides to respect each other's territorial integrity and national sovereignty and to refrain from any action that could escalate tensions and conflict".

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UN Secretary General urges immediate ceasefire

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Friday for an immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan after fierce fighting broke out between the neighboring countries.

Guterres "is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence we're seeing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the impact that violence is having on civilian populations," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"He calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and he reiterates his call on the parties to resolve any differences through diplomacy," the spokesman added.

Pakistan declares open war

Pakistan's latest operation came after Afghan forces attacked Pakistani border troops on Thursday night in retaliation for earlier air strikes by Islamabad.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.

Pakistan's army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistani air and ground operations killed at least 274 members of Afghan forces and affiliated militants and wounded more than 400, while 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 others were wounded. One Pakistani soldier was missing in action.

Mujahid rejected the claims of the high number of Afghan casualties as “false.” He said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed with the bodies of 23 of them taken to Afghanistan. He also said “many” Pakistani soldiers were captured. Thirteen Afghan soldiers had been killed, he said, and another 22 wounded, while 13 civilians were also wounded. A religious school in Paktika province was bombed on Friday morning, he added, saying information on potential casualties there was not yet available.

The claims of either side could not be independently verified.

(with inputs from AFP & AP)