Pakistan Claims 1,000 Afghan Casualties in Deadliest Border Clash
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced Saturday in an X post that Pakistani airstrikes and ground clashes since Thursday had killed at least 415 Taliban fighters and allied militants, wounding more than 580 others. Tarar further claimed that 182 Afghan checkpoints had been demolished alongside 185 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery units, with strikes hitting 46 locations throughout Afghanistan.
Kabul has yet to respond to Tarar's figures. Afghan government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat offered a starkly different account Saturday, stating in separate posts on X that three days of border fighting had produced 78 total deaths — among them 12 Pakistani soldiers, one civilian, 13 Afghan troops, and 52 Afghan civilians, predominantly women and children. Casualties spanned the provinces of Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kandahar.
Pakistan unleashed airstrikes and heavy fire against its western neighbor Friday morning, citing the killing of two Pakistani soldiers by Afghan Taliban forces the previous day. Kabul framed its actions as "retaliatory operations" in response to earlier Pakistani strikes the preceding Sunday. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif escalated the rhetoric further, characterizing the conflict as an "open war" and accusing the Afghan Taliban of "exporting terrorism."
The confrontation represents the most dangerous flashpoint in bilateral relations since the Taliban reclaimed power following the 2021 US withdrawal. Tensions have steadily mounted since March 2024, when border skirmishes grew increasingly frequent — culminating in October 2025 when Pakistani forces seized 19 Afghan border posts during clashes with Taliban fighters.
Hostilities have deepened further in recent months, with Islamabad accusing Taliban-backed militants of launching cross-border attacks from Afghan soil — allegations Kabul firmly rejects. Pakistan has also raised alarm over Afghanistan's growing military and political alignment with India, while Kabul insists it holds sovereign authority to cultivate ties with any nation.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
