Pakistan and Afghanistan Trade Blows as Border Erupts in Fierce Clashes

By Staff, Agencies

Heavy fighting erupted between Pakistani and Afghan forces at several points along their porous border, with both sides claiming to have inflicted significant losses in one of the deadliest confrontations in recent years.

In a statement released on Sunday, Pakistan’s military said its forces killed more than 200 Pakistani Taliban and other fighters during the clashes, citing intelligence assessments and damage reports. The statement added that “the number of injured is much higher,” and that Pakistani forces had captured 19 Afghan border posts.

“The infrastructural damages to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters, and support networks of terrorists are extensive, all along the border and range from tactical to operational depth,” the military said.

Pakistan confirmed that at least 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 others wounded in overnight battles.

The Taliban administration in Kabul presented a sharply different account. Its spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed that “retaliatory” attacks by Taliban border units killed 58 Pakistani soldiers on Saturday night. He said nine Taliban fighters were also killed, and up to 18 were wounded.

Pakistan’s interior minister condemned the Afghan strikes as “unprovoked firing,” while the Taliban accused Pakistan of violating Afghan airspace and bombing a market inside its territory last Thursday.

In its statement, the Pakistani military reiterated accusations that the Taliban allows armed groups to operate freely from Afghan soil. “Pakistan will not tolerate the treacherous use of Afghan territory for terrorism against Pakistan,” it warned.

The border violence follows two powerful explosions that rocked central Kabul late Thursday, which many suspect were the result of a targeted Pakistani airstrike on a high-profile militant leader. While Taliban officials downplayed the incident, regional sources alleged that Noor Wali Mehsud—the elusive chief of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan [TTP]—may have been killed. Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied the claims.

On Friday, the Pakistani military warned that its “patience was wearing thin” with the Taliban administration over escalating cross-border attacks.

The renewed clashes coincided with the arrival of Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in India for a six-day visit—the first since the Taliban’s return to power. Speaking in New Delhi, Muttaqi said, “We have no problems with Pakistan’s people or leadership, but there are some groups in Pakistan trying to spoil the situation. Afghanistan has a right to protect its borders and respond to violations”.