New Delhi: Intense clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late Saturday, with heavy gunfire exchanged between Pakistani troops and Taliban forces across several key frontier points in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to local media reports.
Security officials told Dawn that the confrontation began when Taliban fighters allegedly opened fire on multiple Pakistani border posts. “In a prompt and intense response, Pakistani forces effectively targeted several Afghan positions,” officials said, adding that significant damage was inflicted on “enemy posts and militant formations.”
Fighting was reported near Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, and Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as well as Baramcha in Balochistan, The Express Tribune noted. Security sources claimed the cross-border firing was aimed at enabling the illegal entry of Khwarij — Islamabad’s term for militants belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
According to the report, Pakistani retaliatory fire “destroyed multiple Afghan posts,” leaving several Taliban border guards and militants dead. The Taliban, however, accused Pakistan of conducting air strikes inside Afghan territory earlier this week and said the weekend clashes were in retaliation.
“In response to Pakistan’s air strikes, our border forces have engaged in heavy fighting across multiple border areas,” the Taliban’s eastern command said in a statement carried by Dawn. Officials from Afghanistan’s border provinces — including Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika, Khost, and Helmand — confirmed the exchanges of fire.
Islamabad has not confirmed whether it carried out any air strikes in Kabul but reiterated its demand that Afghanistan stop providing refuge to TTP militants.
The tensions follow remarks by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who told Parliament on October 10 that “collateral damage” could be unavoidable if Pakistani troops come under attack. “Enough is enough,” he warned, suggesting Islamabad may escalate its response to cross-border threats.
Meanwhile, former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad voiced concern over Pakistan’s alleged strikes in Kabul, calling them a “huge escalation” and urging both sides to pursue dialogue. “Military escalation is not the answer,” Khalilzad posted on X, calling for joint efforts to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries along the Durand Line.
Late Thursday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said an explosion had been heard in Kabul but reported no casualties or damage, noting that investigations were underway.
The flare-up comes at a sensitive time — as Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visits India, marking the first high-level engagement between Kabul and New Delhi since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
