Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both sides said on Sunday, in what was described as the most serious fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.
The Pakistan military said 23 of its soldiers were killed in the clashes, while the Taliban reported nine deaths on its side.
Tensions have risen after Islamabad demanded that the Taliban take action against militants who have intensified attacks in Pakistan, alleging they operate from safe havens inside Afghanistan. The Taliban, which assumed power in 2021, denies that Pakistani militants are present on its soil.
Each side claimed to have inflicted far higher casualties on the other, without providing evidence. Pakistan said it had killed more than 200 Afghan Taliban and allied fighters, while Afghanistan claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers. Reuters could not independently verify these figures.
Pakistani Airstrikes Trigger Retaliatory Attacks
On Thursday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and at a marketplace in eastern Afghanistan, according to Pakistani security officials and the Taliban, setting off retaliatory attacks by Taliban forces. Pakistan has not officially acknowledged conducting the airstrikes.
Afghan troops reportedly opened fire on Pakistani border posts late on Saturday, to which Pakistan responded with gun and artillery fire. Both nations claimed to have destroyed each other’s border posts. Pakistani security officials shared video footage they said showed Afghan positions being hit.
By Sunday morning, most exchanges had ceased, though intermittent gunfire continued in Pakistan’s Kurram area, according to local officials and residents. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said earlier that its operations had ended at midnight local time.
Kabul announced on Sunday that it had halted attacks at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both of which had expressed concern over the clashes.
“There is no kind of threat in any part of Afghanistan’s territory,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain resolute and committed in this defence.”
Mujahid added that fighting was still ongoing in some areas.
Border Crossings Closed
Pakistani officials said on Sunday that the country had closed crossings along the 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border with Afghanistan a disputed colonial-era frontier known as the Durand Line, drawn by the British in 1893.
The two main crossings, at Torkham and Chaman, along with at least three minor ones Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan were shut, local officials said.
The Pakistani airstrikes coincided with a rare visit to India by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, which culminated in an announcement by India on Friday to upgrade relations. India is Pakistan’s longstanding adversary, and the trip has caused concern in Islamabad.
