Taliban Claims Heavy Casualties on Pakistani Side
Kabul/Islamabad: Intense overnight fighting erupted along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border after Taliban forces launched coordinated attacks on multiple Pakistani military posts, sharply escalating tensions between the two countries.
According to Afghan media reports, Taliban fighters claimed responsibility for killing at least 58 Pakistani soldiers and injuring over 30 others during fierce clashes along the Durand Line. The group also claimed to have captured 25 Pakistani posts including two in Helmand province following what it alleged were Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory.
The hostilities reportedly began late Friday and continued into the early hours of Saturday.
A Taliban statement, cited by Tolo News, said fighters of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) engaged Pakistani troops in heavy gunfire in Bahram Chah, a volatile border district in Helmand. The group further claimed to have seized a Pakistani Mil Dehshika armoured tank and captured five Pakistani soldiers in Kandahar’s Maiwand district.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence described the operations as “successful” and warned Islamabad against any further airspace violations.
“Our armed forces are fully prepared to defend Afghanistan’s sovereignty and will deliver a strong response to any aggression,” said ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khowarazmi.
Meanwhile, Pakistani security officials confirmed cross-border clashes but rejected the Taliban’s claims as propaganda. A senior government source told The Guardian that Taliban fighters “opened fire on several border points,” prompting Pakistan to retaliate with artillery and heavy weaponry.
“We will not tolerate any aggression from the Afghan side,” the official asserted, adding that Pakistani forces had responded “with full force.”
The latest flare-up comes days after Pakistani airstrikes reportedly targeted militant hideouts near Kabul, marking a dangerous escalation in the already fraught relations between Islamabad and the Taliban regime. The 2,600-km-long Durand Line, which divides the two nations, has witnessed recurring clashes and rising hostility since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
