Security sources reported that recent firing was aimed at facilitating the illegal entry of Khwarij—the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—into Pakistani territory, according to The Express Tribune.
“The counteroffensive effectively targeted and destroyed multiple Afghan posts at the border. Dozens of Afghan soldiers and Khwarij were killed in retaliatory fire,” The Express Tribune cited security sources as saying.
Taliban border forces claimed the clashes erupted after Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out air strikes on the Afghan capital earlier this week. “In retaliation for the air strikes by Pakistani forces,” Taliban border forces in the east are “engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani forces’ posts in various border areas,” the Afghan military stated, as reported by Dawn.
Taliban officials from the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika, Khost, and Helmand—all located along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan—confirmed the clashes.
Islamabad did not confirm responsibility for the attacks but called on Kabul “to stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil,” Dawn reported.
Earlier on Friday, former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed concern over Pakistan’s reported strikes in Kabul, describing them as a “huge escalation” that poses dangerous risks. In a post on X, Khalilzad urged dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul, stating that military escalation is not the answer. He emphasized the need for negotiations to address terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the Durand Line.
Late on Thursday evening, Afghanistan’s spokesperson Zabihullah reported an explosion heard in Kabul; however, no damage has been confirmed so far, and investigations are ongoing.
He stated: “The sound of an explosion was heard in the city of Kabul. However, no one should worry, it is all well and good. The investigation of the incident is underway, and no report of any damage has been given so far.”
On October 10, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif addressed the National Assembly, warning that “collateral damage” cannot be ruled out in response if Pakistani security forces come under attack, adding that “enough is enough,” as reported by Dawn.
This escalation by Pakistan occurs as Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, is on a week-long visit to India—the first high-level visit from Kabul since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
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