Afghanistan says it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers after repeated airspace, territory violations
Afghanistan said it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations. AP
Afghanistan said Sunday that its forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, citing repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace. Pakistan reported lower casualties, stating that 23 of its troops were killed.
Earlier this week, Afghan officials accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, as well as a market in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan has not claimed responsibility for these attacks.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces captured 25 Pakistani army posts and wounded 30 soldiers. “The situation along all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have largely been prevented,” Mujahid said during a news conference in Kabul.
While Pakistan has previously carried out strikes inside Afghanistan targeting alleged militant hideouts in remote areas, Saturday night’s clashes involved heavily populated regions and signal escalating tensions between the two neighbors.
The Taliban Defense Ministry described its overnight actions as “retaliatory and successful operations.” It added, “If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response.”
The Torkham border crossing, a key trade route between Afghanistan and Pakistan, did not open at its usual 8 a.m. time on Sunday. The Chaman crossing in southwest Pakistan was also closed, and travelers—including Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan—were turned away. An Associated Press reporter in Chaman reported hearing jets over Spin Boldak in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province and seeing smoke rising from explosions.
Regional Powers Urge Calm
Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harboring members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, which Islamabad says conducts deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the claim, insisting it does not allow its territory to be used for attacks on other nations.
Pakistan has been facing rising militancy, particularly near its Afghan border, and has previously accused nuclear-armed rival India of supporting armed groups, though no evidence has been presented. The recent border clashes add to regional instability, especially after India and Pakistan came close to war earlier this year following a tourist massacre in the disputed Kashmir region. India has also strengthened ties with the Taliban, recently upgrading its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry urged “restraint, avoidance of escalation and the adoption of dialogue and wisdom to help de-escalate tensions and maintain the security and stability of the region.” Qatar also called for calm. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, visiting India, said Afghanistan respected the calls from the Gulf nations to halt “retaliatory strikes” but emphasized the country reserves the right to defend itself. “We want a peaceful resolution of the situation, but if the peace efforts don’t succeed, we have other options,” Muttaqi said.
Pakistan Denounces Afghan Actions
Before Afghanistan’s claims of casualties were released, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks. He said Pakistan’s military “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”
Pakistani security officials released videos purportedly showing destroyed Afghan checkpoints, though these could not be independently verified. The Pakistani army reported that more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized, with additional injuries reported.”
Officials in Islamabad said Afghan forces fired on several northwestern border areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. One official told the Associated Press that Pakistan had captured 19 Afghan border posts allegedly used to launch attacks. “The Taliban personnel at these posts have either been killed or fled. Fires and visible destruction have been observed at the captured Afghan posts,” the official said, speaking anonymously.
The two nations share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border, known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never officially recognized.
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