Intense clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Saturday night, following an attack by Afghan Taliban forces on Pakistani military posts. The exchange of fire reportedly left dozens of soldiers dead, marking a significant escalation in hostilities between the two neighbours.
According to Pakistani officials, Afghan troops opened fire on army posts along the north-western border and seized several positions. The attack came after the Taliban regime in Kabul accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on Afghan territory, including in the capital, earlier this week. Pakistan responded with retaliatory strikes, gunfire and ground raids on Sunday.
Pakistan's military media wing reported that 23 soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in the initial attacks. They claimed that 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” from the Afghan side were killed in their counter-strikes, and that terrorist training camps had been dismantled. In contrast, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that Taliban forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, while only nine Taliban fighters died.
The clashes signal a new low in Afghan-Pakistan relations, which have become increasingly hostile amid allegations that Afghanistan provides safe haven to Islamist militants carrying out deadly attacks on Pakistani soil. The Taliban government's defence ministry stated that its forces conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” and warned of a strong response to any further violations of Afghan territorial integrity.
Analysts note that the situation along the Durand Line—the contested 1,600-mile border—has become highly volatile. Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, Pakistan has accused them of sheltering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist group behind a surge in insurgent attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Over 2,500 people have been killed in TTP attacks in the past four years, with more than 600 attacks recorded this year alone.
Security analyst Imtiaz Gul described the clashes as a “logical conclusion” of mounting tensions, particularly after Kabul's refusal to take decisive action against TTP militants. The cross-border strikes followed explosions in Kabul and south-eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, which the Taliban blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in those strikes, stating only that it had carried out “a series of retribution operations”.
