The Pakistan-Afghanistan border erupted into one of the fiercest clashes in years, with both countries trading accusations of cross-border aggression and deadly strikes. Dramatic visuals showed thick smoke, burning outposts, and armed men laying down their weapons in the Kurram tribal region. Pakistani troops took control of key Taliban strongholds, including Manojba Battalion HQ, Jandusar Post, Turkmenzai Camp, and Kharchar Fort. Officials described the assault as a “precision strike” targeting militant bases threatening Pakistani territory.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned Afghanistan’s actions as “unprovoked aggression,” alleging that Taliban forces had targeted civilians. “This is a blatant violation of international law,” Naqvi stated on X (formerly Twitter). “Pakistan’s brave soldiers have delivered a crushing and immediate response. No provocation will go unanswered.”
The intense border exchange comes just days after mysterious airstrikes rocked Kabul — strikes that the Taliban blamed on Pakistan, an accusation Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied. Pakistani officials, however, have repeatedly accused the Taliban government of sheltering fighters from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan and allegedly backed by New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Taliban government claimed it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and wounded 30 others in overnight retaliatory strikes. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces had also seized a large cache of Pakistani weapons. He admitted that nine Taliban fighters were killed and around a dozen wounded but described the clashes as a “decisive defense of national sovereignty.”
