Border Clashes with Pakistan Force Closure of Torkham Crossing
Fierce overnight border clashes with Pakistan forced the closure of the Torkham crossing, as both sides exchanged heavy fire along multiple points of the Durand Line.
Fierce overnight clashes erupted between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards along multiple points of the Durand Line, forcing the closure of the key Torkham crossing, Pakistani media reported on Sunday. The violence marks the most serious flare-up between the two sides in months.
Afghanistan’s Taliban Defence Ministry said its forces carried out what it called a “successful retaliatory operation” that ended at midnight, targeting several Pakistani outposts. It claimed 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 11 border posts destroyed in the fighting along the eastern frontier.
Taliban officials said the raids were based on “accurate intelligence” and came in response to Pakistani airstrikes last week that hit Kabul and Paktia provinces. They also said their forces retrieved the bodies of two Pakistani soldiers and seized weapons and ammunition from the posts.
Pakistan’s army said in a statement that it struck back early Sunday, hitting at least 20 Taliban positions in response to the overnight assault. It said several Taliban fighters in the Khurram region had surrendered to Pakistani troops but gave no details about casualties on its side.
Neither side provided verifiable casualty figures, and the claims could not be independently confirmed. Pakistani officials have so far made no public comment on the reported Taliban attack or the ensuing retaliation.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group would hold a “major press conference” at 11 a.m. Sunday to discuss the border situation. The skirmishes come just days after Pakistani fighter jets bombed parts of Kabul and Paktia, reportedly targeting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud.
The latest violence underscores worsening relations between Islamabad and Kabul, already strained by Pakistan’s accusations that the Afghan Taliban are sheltering TTP militants. Analysts warn the cycle of cross-border strikes and reprisals risks plunging both sides into a prolonged confrontation that could further destabilize the region.
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