KABUL: In a significant escalation of long-simmering tensions, Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged claims of heavy casualties from intense overnight clashes along their disputed border, raising fears of a broader conflict between the two neighboring nations.
The Taliban-led government in Kabul announced on Sunday that its forces had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and captured 25 military posts in what it described as retaliatory operations. The dramatic claim comes just days after Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in the capital, Kabul, and a market in the eastern part of the country—an assault for which Pakistan has not claimed responsibility.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban government, stated that the Afghan response was a direct reaction to repeated violations of its territory and airspace. “The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mujahid told a press conference, signaling a newly assertive stance from the traditionally insular regime.
Conflicting Narratives and Soaring Casualty Claims
In a swift and forceful rebuttal, Pakistan’s military presented a starkly different account. In an official statement, it confirmed that 23 of its own troops were killed and 29 wounded in the border fighting. However, it claimed to have inflicted far greater damage on the Afghan side, saying “precision fire and strikes, as well as physical raids,” had “neutralized” more than 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters on the Afghan side.
“These operations were directed against Taliban camps and posts (and) terrorist training facilities,” the military stated, explicitly framing its actions as counter-terrorism.
The conflicting reports, a common feature of the fraught relationship between the two countries, make independent verification of the scale and toll of the fighting nearly impossible. However, the severity of the claims themselves underscores a dangerous breakdown in communications and a move from sporadic skirmishes to sustained, heavy combat.
A Deep-Rooted Conflict Over a Disputed Border
The immediate trigger for the clashes appears to be a cycle of attack and retaliation, but the underlying causes are deeply entrenched. The core of the dispute lies in the 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) Durand Line, the border drawn by British colonial authorities in 1893. Afghanistan has never formally recognized the boundary, considering it a illegitimate imposition that divides ethnic Pashtun and Baloch tribes.
This historical grievance has been amplified by a contemporary security crisis. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban government in Kabul of providing safe haven to members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group waging a bloody insurgency inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban, while ideologically aligned with the TTP, officially denies these charges, asserting it does not allow its territory to be used for attacks on other countries.
Economic and Regional Fallout
The immediate practical consequence of the fighting was the closure of two critical economic arteries. The Torkham and Chaman border crossings, which are vital for trade and transit between the two landlocked countries, remained shut on Sunday, disrupting commerce and stranding civilians.
The escalation has also sent ripples across the region. Saudi Arabia, which recently entered into a mutual defense pact with Pakistan, issued a statement calling for “restraint, avoidance of escalation and the adoption of dialogue and wisdom.” This intervention highlights concerns that the bilateral conflict could destabilize the wider region. The Saudi statement is seen as particularly significant given its recent security alignment with Islamabad.
A War of Words at the Highest Levels
The rhetoric from both capitals has grown increasingly bellicose. Prior to the Afghan casualty claims, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the initial assault and praised his military, which he said “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”
The Afghan Defense Ministry, in turn, issued a warning early Sunday, stating, “If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response.”
As both sides dig in, the international community watches with apprehension. The clashes represent the most serious military confrontation since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and threaten to plunge an already volatile region into a deeper and more direct conflict, with no clear diplomatic off-ramp in sight.
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