A statement from an eastern Afghan military corps said “heavy clashes” began late Thursday in response to Pakistani air strikes in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on X that “large-scale offensive operations” had been launched against Pakistani military installations along the border.

An Afghan military source told Al Jazeera that 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 outposts captured during Thursday’s attacks. The claims could not be independently verified.

Pakistan previously said it killed at least 70 fighters in air strikes conducted on Sunday along the border. Afghan authorities rejected that claim, saying civilians — including women and children — were among the dead.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting later said its troops had delivered an “immediate and effective response” to Taliban fire across several sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur.

Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani outposts had been captured or damaged. He said Pakistani forces had inflicted heavy losses and claimed that 133 Afghan Taliban members were killed and more than 200 wounded. He also said 27 Taliban posts were destroyed and nine captured.

There was no immediate response from Afghan authorities to Pakistan’s latest casualty claims. Reports from Kabul early Friday indicated at least one loud explosion and aircraft activity over the city.

Rising border tensions

Relations between the neighbours have deteriorated sharply in recent months. Land crossings along the 2,611km Durand Line have largely been shut since deadly clashes in October that killed more than 70 people on both sides.

Security concerns remain central to the dispute. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban. The group, formed in 2007, is distinct from Afghanistan’s Taliban but shares ideological and historical ties.

Pearl Pandya of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) told Al Jazeera that the porous border allows TTP fighters to retreat into Afghanistan when under military pressure. She said the Afghan Taliban appear reluctant to decisively confront the TTP, partly due to prior affinities and concerns about defections to the Islamic State Khorasan Province.

According to ACLED data cited by Pandya, 2025 has been among the most violent years in more than a decade, with more than 1,000 incidents involving the TTP recorded across Pakistan. Early 2026 trends appear comparable or slightly higher.

Afghan authorities deny Pakistan’s allegations that they provide sanctuary to the TTP.