AFP |
Dawn.com
October 12, 2025
A soldier stands next to a border fence along Afghanistan’s Paktika province in Angoor Adda, Pakistan. — AFP/File
Violent clashes erupted along the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday night after the Afghan Taliban launched unprovoked attacks on border posts, with the Pakistan Army retaliating to strongly, said security forces
There are reports of significant damage inflicted on multiple Afghan posts and militant formations, according to security sources.
Pakistan Army is reportedly using artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons in its response, say security sources.
The clashes broke out after Kabul accused Islamabad of carrying out
air strikes on the Afghan capital earlier this week, according to Taliban border forces.
“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 said in a statement.
Taliban officials from the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktika, Khost, and Helmand — all located on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — confirmed that clashes were ongoing.
Islamabad
did not confirm that it was behind the attacks, but called on Kabul “to stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil”.
“This evening, Taliban forces began using weapons. We fired first light and then heavy artillery at four points along the border,” a senior official in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa told
AFP.
“Pakistani forces responded with heavy fire and shot down three Afghan quadcopters suspected of carrying explosives. Intense fighting continues, but so far, no casualties have been reported,” he continued.
The past week was particularly charged with statements to and fro from both sides as Pakistan suffered a string of martyrdoms of security forces in intelligence-based operations, while Afghanistan accused the former of violating its sovereignty.
The issue of terrorists using Afghan soil against Pakistan, along with frequent border skirmishes, has long strained ties between the two countries, with Islamabad repeatedly urging the interim Afghan government to stop allowing its territory to be used for attacks.