Pakistan has claimed that its forces killed 67 Afghan troops and one Pakistani soldier in cross-border clashes. The Taliban defense ministry in Kabul, the Afghan capital, rejected Pakistan’s claim, stating that Afghan forces in the past 24 hours have repelled Pakistani attacks, destroying about a dozen military posts and killing four Pakistani soldiers. The latest escalation between the two countries began last week after Afghanistan launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan has been conducting operations along the border and declared it in an "open war" with Afghanistan. The U.N. mission in Kabul has called for an immediate halt to the fighting, warning that it is worsening Afghanistan's dire humanitarian situation. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari defended the ongoing conflict, calling on Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.