At least 23 Pakistani soldiers and an estimated 200 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in fierce overnight clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, officials from both countries said Sunday, marking one of the deadliest confrontations between the neighbors in recent years.
According to Pakistan’s military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Afghan Taliban and allied militants launched an “unprovoked attack” on Pakistani border posts on the night of October 11-12. Pakistan said its troops repelled the assault and conducted precision strikes, destroying 21 Afghan positions, multiple training camps, and several command centers. Heavy artillery, drones, and air assets were reportedly deployed.
The Afghan Ministry of Defence, however, said the fighting was retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the week targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Kabul. It claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 20 Afghan troops were killed or injured in the fighting. Both sides accused the other of initiating hostilities and destroying border posts.
Independent verification of these claims was not immediately possible. But security sources in Pakistan confirmed extensive damage along the frontier, including casualties on both sides and the closure of all major crossings: Torkham, Chaman, Kharlachi, Angoor Adda, and Ghulam Khan.
The violence follows months of mounting tension between Islamabad and Kabul over Pakistan’s accusation that the Taliban government is harboring TTP militants who stage cross-border attacks. Kabul denies the charge, saying Pakistan’s airstrikes violate Afghan sovereignty.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed “no compromise” on Pakistan’s territorial integrity, while Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warned that Afghanistan “will defend its land.”
Mediators including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iran have urged both sides to exercise restraint and resume dialogue, fearing the escalation could destabilize the entire region.