By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Fighting erupted anew along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Tuesday night, with Pakistani forces reporting intense clashes in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after what they described as unprovoked fire from Afghan Taliban fighters and militants affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
State-run PTV News, quoting security sources, reported that the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij (TTP) initiated the attack, prompting a forceful response from the Pakistani Army. Afghan posts sustained heavy damage, with one tank catching fire and Taliban fighters abandoning their positions, according to the broadcaster.
In a follow-up post on X, PTV added: “Another post and tank position of the Afghan Taliban destroyed in Kurram sector.” The report also noted that a fourth tank position at the Shamsadar post was destroyed, and there were accounts of an important commander of Fitna al-Khawarij being killed in the operation.
Security sources provided further details of the Pakistani counteraction, saying troops targeted firing positions with intense retaliatory fire, inflicting severe damage on multiple Taliban posts. Flames rose from the sites, and a Taliban tank was destroyed, forcing attackers to flee.
Another Afghan Taliban post and tank position were eliminated in the Kurram sector, with Taliban forces leaving several bodies behind as they retreated. In subsequent strikes, Pakistani forces destroyed a moving Afghan tank and the fourth tank position at Shamshad Post within an hour. Militants from Fitna al-Khawarij and the Taliban fled in panic. Several tank positions at the Nargsar post in Afghanistan’s Khost province were obliterated, killing multiple fighters and leaving the post vacant. One Taliban post raised a white flag before its occupants abandoned it, officials said.
The army also destroyed a sixth tank and its crew at Turkmanzai Top, where flames were visible from the wreckage. A training camp opposite the Polsen Post, linked to Kharji Malik Naeem and used by militants, was completely razed. Security officials said operations would continue to respond firmly to cross-border threats, they said.
Social media was flooded with reports of the fresh clashes, but these could not be independently verified as of late Tuesday.
The flare-up marked the second such incident in recent days. On the night of October 11, Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire at multiple border points, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur and Kurram, with similar attacks in Dir, Chitral, Baramcha and other areas along the Durand Line. Pakistani forces retaliated swiftly, striking border posts and terrorist hideouts across multiple points overnight.
Earlier Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch briefed resident ambassadors in Islamabad on the border developments. “She underscored Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and its unwavering resolve to protect its territorial integrity and national security,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Pakistan confirmed 23 casualties on its side and shared information about more than 200 claimed deaths on the Afghan side. “They said it’s not over, it’s not a ceasefire,” Dawn newspaper quoted officials as saying at the meeting. Another individual described the message as clear: “Pakistan will do whatever it has to protect its soil and people, and while it wants trade and connectivity, security is paramount. It will continue with refugee repatriation and border will remain closed till further notice.”
The clashes come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, fueled by the interim Afghan government’s reluctance to curb terrorist groups operating from its soil. Pakistan has seen a surge in cross-border terror incidents since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The two countries share a porous 2,500-kilometer border with key crossing points vital for regional trade and people-to-people ties. But terrorism remains a core concern for Pakistan, which has repeatedly urged Afghanistan to prevent groups like the TTP from using its territory to launch attacks.
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