Afghanistan said on Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, marking one of the deadliest escalations between the two neighbors in recent years. Pakistan’s army, however, disputed the figures, saying 23 of its soldiers were killed in the clashes.
According to Afghan officials, the overnight operation was carried out in retaliation for repeated violations of its territory and airspace. The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces had captured 25 Pakistani military posts and wounded 30 soldiers. He added that all official borders were “under complete control” and that illegal activities had been “largely prevented.”
The Taliban Defense Ministry said its forces launched “retaliatory and successful operations” along the border and warned that any further violations would be met with a strong response. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for an earlier bombing that struck Kabul and a market in eastern Afghanistan earlier in the week.
The overnight fighting caused the closure of two key border crossings — Torkham and Chaman — which serve as vital trade and transit routes between the countries. Afghan refugees attempting to return home were turned away, and witnesses in Chaman reported hearing jets over Spin Boldak, in southern Kandahar province, followed by explosions and rising smoke.
Tensions between the two sides have been growing for months. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusations, saying it does not allow its soil to be used against other countries.
Regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have called for calm. The Saudi Foreign Ministry urged both countries to “avoid escalation and adopt dialogue to maintain regional stability.” Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is currently visiting India, said Afghanistan respected the appeals for peace but warned that Kabul reserved the right to defend itself if attacks continued.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Afghan assault, claiming Pakistan’s forces “gave a befitting reply” and destroyed several Taliban posts. The Pakistani army said more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” had been neutralized, though these numbers could not be independently verified.
The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known as the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never officially recognized. The renewed fighting now threatens to worsen instability in a region already struggling with militancy and strained diplomatic ties.
Global
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