Taliban Confirms Cross-Border Attacks on Pakistani Forces Amid Escalating Tensions

AFP

A Pakistani soldier standing guard on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2019.

The Taliban government has confirmed that its forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops across multiple mountainous areas along the northern border, describing the operations as “retaliatory” following what it alleged was a Pakistani airstrike on a market inside Afghan territory.

Casualty figures have yet to be confirmed. Kabul said Thursday’s Pakistani airstrike violated Afghan sovereignty, while Islamabad called the Taliban’s response “unprovoked.”

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused Afghan forces of firing on civilian populations, warning that Pakistan would respond “with a stone for every brick.” He condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation of international law,” accusing Afghanistan of “playing a game of fire and blood.”

Both sides reportedly exchanged small-arms and artillery fire across several locations, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral, and Baramcha. A Pakistani police official near the Zero Point in Kurram district confirmed heavy shelling began around 22:00 local time, with reports of gunfire from multiple points along the frontier.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defence claimed Pakistani jets bombed a civilian market in Afghanistan’s Paktika province last week, destroying several shops. Pakistan, however, maintains that Afghan territory has been used by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to conduct cross-border attacks—a charge Kabul denies.

The escalation comes as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi concluded a landmark visit to India, where both sides agreed to reopen the Indian embassy in Kabul after a four-year closure.

Regional powers including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have urged restraint, calling on both Islamabad and Kabul to prioritise diplomacy and prevent further escalation.



PUKMEDIA