Pakistan army strikes back after night of Afghan fire on multiple fronts

Unprovoked firing by Afghan forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border provoked a strong response from the Pakistan Army that continued throughout the night, resulting in the death of several Afghan soldiers and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.

According to security sources, Afghan forces on Saturday night opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Zhob district in Balochistan province.

The shooting, they added, was aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of “Khawarij” formations, TTP agents. The Pakistan Army’s “warning and surveillance” posts responded quickly and forcefully, and the exchange of fire was continuing at the time of filing this report.

Several Afghan border posts were destroyed and dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants were killed. Taliban forces abandoned several posts and fled, leaving bodies scattered, according to security sources.

The Afghan Taliban’s Defense Ministry late in the evening issued a statement saying: “We will now stop our ‘retaliatory actions’ against Pakistan and hope that Pakistan does not hit back.” However, clashes continued on the other side of the border.

The Afghan posts reportedly provided no cover and suffered heavy losses. Pakistani security forces used artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons. In addition, aerial means and drones were used to attack terrorist positions and headquarters of the Afghan forces accused of harboring elements of Daesh and Khawarij.

The shelling continued and the Pakistani army attacked posts helping terrorist organizations. Pakistani security forces also carried out attacks against Afghan terrorists in Chaghi, destroying several checkpoints and militant positions.

According to security forces, great precautions were taken to ensure that only Afghan posts assisting the militants were attacked.

Video footage of the destruction of the Afghan post of Jandusar was released. Other images showed multiple Afghan posts destroyed overnight, with Afghan soldiers abandoning their positions and leaving behind bodies and equipment.

Pakistani security forces also attacked Afghan posts opposite the Kurram border, demolishing several, some of which were seen engulfed in flames. Turkmanzai Top and Kharchur Fort, described by the Pakistan Army as militant hubs, were also effectively destroyed.

Read: The army offers a rapid response to the Afghan provocation

Pakistani security forces confirmed that Afghan posts in Liuband (Qila Abdullah sector), opposite Kunar and Bajaur, and another opposite Angoor Adda, in South Waziristan, were destroyed.

Desertions among Afghan soldiers continued and videos appeared of abandoned posts where uniforms and weapons had been left.

According to security sources, Pakistan successfully attacked the Taliban’s Manujba Camp battalion headquarters and Darani camp. Reports indicated that dozens of Taliban fighters and foreign militants were killed in both locations.

Durani-2 and Manujba-2 camps, known launching pads for militants, were also successfully attacked. A tank position located on a peak on the Afghan side of the Kurram border was attacked, and several Afghan Taliban tanks were destroyed in the attacks.

At least 19 Afghan posts allegedly facilitating terrorist groups were successfully attacked, security sources said.

Total casualty figures remain unclear, but following the night’s hostilities, Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham border crossing. According to The Khorasan Diary, the crossing was closed in response to Afghan aggression.

Quraishi Badloon, head of Information and Culture, said Pakistan closed the Torkham border on Sunday to passengers, commercial convoys and refugees.

Gulf countries ask for calm

Saudi Arabia expresses concern over border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It calls for moderation, dialogue and wisdom to reduce tensions, affirming its support for regional efforts to achieve security and prosperity for both nations.

Qatar expresses concern about the escalation and its possible repercussions. Urges both sides to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy to contain differences, reaffirming its support for international peace efforts and the security of the Pakistani and Afghan people.

Tensions rise

“In retaliation for airstrikes by Pakistani forces,” Taliban border forces in the east “engaged in heavy clashes against posts of Pakistani forces in several border areas,” the Afghan military said in a statement.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Friday accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on its territory and warned of “consequences.” Islamabad said its patience with Kabul was running out, neither acknowledging nor denying the airstrikes.

In a press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry “took note” of the reports of the strikes. “To protect the lives of the people of Pakistan, we are doing and will continue to do whatever is necessary. Our demand to Afghanistan: its soil must not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to expel terrorists who use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan, a charge that authorities in Kabul deny. The TTP and its affiliates are behind most of the violence in Pakistan, much of it directed against security forces.

Read more: Six police officers martyred as forces fight TTP attack

Earlier this year, a UN report stated that the TTP “receives substantial logistical and operational support from de facto authorities,” referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting the TTP had failed.

“We will not tolerate this anymore,” Asif said. “United, we must respond to those who facilitate them, whether the hideouts are on our soil or on Afghan soil.”

Diplomatic ties worsen

The clashes come as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visits India, marking New Delhi’s first high-level engagement with the Taliban.

At a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Muttaqi commented on a recent explosion in Kabul, condemning the incident and blaming Pakistan. “Whatever the problems of each country, they should solve them themselves,” he said.

Also read: Islamabad reprimands Kabul for terrorist comments

Muttaqi further stated that there was no terrorist group left in Afghanistan. “If other countries make peace on their own like we did in Afghanistan, then there will be peace in the entire region. Since the last eight months, there has not been even a small incident in Afghanistan. In four years, no one has been injured on Afghan soil. So this is the best proof we have presented,” he said.

In response, Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying that Pakistan’s “strong reservations” on elements of the India-Afghanistan joint statement had been conveyed to the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad by the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia and Afghanistan).

“Pakistan also strongly rejected the Afghan Acting Foreign Minister’s claim that terrorism is Pakistan’s internal problem,” the statement said.

He added that Pakistan had repeatedly shared detailed evidence about the presence of elements of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan operating from Afghan soil against Pakistan, allegedly with the support of elements inside Afghanistan.