Afghanistan says it killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers in overnight border clashes

Afghanistan said on Sunday that its forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border clashes, accusing its neighbour of violating its territory and airspace.

Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault.

The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces captured 25 Pakistani army posts, leaving 30 Pakistani soldiers wounded.

“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul.

Pakistan has previously struck locations inside Afghanistan it alleges are militant hideouts, but these have been in remote and mountainous areas. The two sides have also skirmished along the border in the past.

The Taliban government’s Defence Ministry said early Sunday morning its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the border.

“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry added.

Deepening tensions

Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harbouring members of the banned group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Kabul denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

Pakistan is grappling with surging militancy, especially in areas bordering Afghanistan. It also accuses its nuclear-armed neighbour and rival India of backing armed groups, without providing any evidence.

The overnight border clashes could fuel regional instability, as India and Pakistan came close to war earlier this year after a tourist massacre in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Before the Afghan claim of casualties, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault and said the country's army “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”

Pakistani security officials shared videos they claimed showed destroyed Afghan checkpoints, but the footage could not be independently verified because the media does not have access to these areas.

The Pakistani army said more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralised, while the number of injured is much higher."

According to Pakistani security officials, Afghan forces opened fire in several northwestern border areas in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.