'Heavy clashes' at Afghanistan-Pakistan border: Taliban forces

Kabul: Heavy fighting erupted late Saturday between Afghan and Pakistani security forces along their shared border, following Kabul’s accusations of Pakistani air strikes on the Afghan capital, officials from both sides reported.

"In retaliation for the air strikes by Pakistani forces", Taliban border forces in the east "engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani forces' posts in various border areas", according to a statement from the Afghan military.

Reports indicated that the 201 Khalid bin Walid Army Corps of Afghanistan launched attacks on Pakistani military outposts near the Durand Line, specifically in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, in response to the alleged airstrikes on Kabul. The situation remains tense, with clashes reportedly continuing across multiple border regions including Kunar, Dangam, Birkot, and Paktia. While Afghanistan’s military has confirmed the exchange of fire, Pakistan has not yet issued an official statement. 

The confrontations reportedly follow a recent airstrike by Pakistan in Kabul, which Islamabad has denied. The Taliban government has reportedly mobilised armed personnel in response to the escalation, signalling a rapid intensification of border tensions.

The latest incidents came a day after Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Parliament that Islamabad would show “no leniency” in responding to attacks. He added that Pakistan would target “those places from where insurgents attack our security forces” and urged Afghanistan’s Taliban administration to prevent Afghan territory from being used for assaults on Pakistan.

The clashes reflect ongoing tensions fueled by rising terrorist violence in Pakistan in recent years, much of it attributed to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Although separate from Afghanistan’s Taliban, the TTP is allied with them and has reportedly taken advantage of sanctuaries across the Afghan border, straining bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul since the Taliban assumed power in Kabul in 2021.

(With inputs from AFP)