Taliban forces seized multiple Pakistani outposts along the Durand Line, killing 12 soldiers, in retaliatory cross-border clashes after a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul this week.
In a sharp escalation of border tensions, firefights broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late on Saturday, with Taliban-led Afghan forces seizing multiple Pakistani Army outposts along the Durand Line, including in the volatile Kunar and Helmand provinces, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said.
“Taliban forces have captured several outposts from the Pakistani Army across the Durand Line in Kunar and Helmand provinces,” an Afghan Defense official said in a statement.
Sources told TOLOnews that at least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and several others injured in the ongoing border clashes. Intense fighting has been reported in Bahramcha district’s Shakij, Bibi Jani, and Salehan areas, as well as across Paktia’s Aryub Zazi district.
Pakistani security officials said their forces were responding “with full force” to what they described as unprovoked firing from Afghanistan.
Enayatullah Khowarazmi, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense, described the operation as a retaliatory measure in response to Pakistan’s violation of Afghan airspace. He said the clashes had concluded by midnight local time.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s airspace, our armed forces are prepared to defend their airspace and will deliver a strong response,” Khowarazmi added.
Meanwhile, Qatar expressed concern over the escalating border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling on both sides to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.
