Dozens of soldiers were killed overnight in clashes along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, officials from both sides confirmed on Sunday. The fighting is being described as the most serious since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.
Pakistani military reported that 23 of its soldiers were killed, while the Taliban claimed nine deaths on its side. The renewed violence comes amid rising tensions following Islamabad’s demand that the Taliban act against militants it says are staging attacks in Pakistan from Afghan territory. Taliban denies the presence of Pakistani militants on its soil.
Both governments issued conflicting casualty figures. Pakistan claimed it had killed more than 200 Afghan Taliban and allied fighters, while Kabul reported that 58 Pakistani troops were killed. Neither side provided evidence, and the figures could not be independently verified.
Pakistani Airstrikes and Retaliation
The clashes followed Pakistani airstrikes on Thursday, which targeted areas in Kabul and a marketplace in eastern Afghanistan, according to Pakistani security sources and Taliban officials. Islamabad has not formally acknowledged conducting the strikes.
In response, Afghan troops launched retaliatory fire on Pakistani border posts late on Saturday. Pakistan said it replied with gunfire and artillery, and both sides claimed to have destroyed the other’s border positions. Pakistani officials released footage they said showed Afghan outposts being hit.
Fighting subsided by Sunday morning, though sporadic gunfire was reported in Pakistan’s Kurram region. The Afghan defence ministry said its operation ended at midnight, while Taliban officials later confirmed that hostilities had ceased at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both of which expressed concern over the violence.
«The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain resolute in this defence,» Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday, though he noted that limited fighting was still taking place in some areas.
Border Crossings Closed
Pakistan responded by closing all major crossings along the 2,600-kilometre frontier known as the Durand Line, a colonial-era boundary established in 1893. Officials confirmed that the main border points at Torkham and Chaman, as well as smaller crossings at Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan, had been shut.
The airstrikes coincided with a visit by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, during which New Delhi announced plans to upgrade relations with Kabul. The move has raised concerns in Islamabad, given India’s long-standing rivalry with Pakistan.
Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has urged members of the CIS to unite in supporting infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.
