Afghan Forces Claim Major Retaliatory Strike, Killing Dozens of Pakistani Soldiers in Spin Boldak

KABUL – The Taliban-led government in Kabul, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), claimed on Wednesday that its forces had launched a devastating retaliatory attack against Pakistani military positions in the strategic Spin Boldak border area, resulting in significant Pakistani casualties and the capture of military assets.

The incident marks a significant and dangerous escalation in the long-simmering border tensions between the two neighboring nations, raising fears of a wider, more direct military confrontation.

Taliban Account of the Clash

According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the IEA’s chief spokesman, the morning’s events began with an unprovoked attack from the Pakistani side.

“Unfortunately, early this morning, Pakistani forces once again carried out light and heavy weapon attacks on Afghanistan in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province,” Mujahid stated in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). He reported that the initial Pakistani bombardment resulted in the “martyrdom of around 12 civilians and injuries to more than 100 others.”

Mujahid stated that Afghan forces were “subsequently compelled to launch a counteroffensive” in response to the aggression and civilian casualties.

The spokesman described the Afghan retaliation as overwhelmingly successful. “As a result, a large number of Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and bases were captured, their weapons and tanks seized, and most of their military installations destroyed,” he claimed.

Mujahid asserted that the situation was brought under control by 8 a.m. local time and boasted that “the Mujahideen, with high morale, remain fully prepared to defend their land, sovereignty, and people.”

A Pattern of Escalating Hostilities

Wednesday’s clash appears to be the latest in a rapidly escalating cycle of cross-border violence. The incident follows a similar pattern from just days prior.

Last Thursday night, Pakistani forces reportedly conducted airstrikes in the Barmal district of Paktika province. In response to that attack, the IEA had already launched retaliatory strikes last week against Pakistani border posts all along the contentious Durand Line.

Mujahid had previously claimed that during those operations, Afghan forces captured approximately 20 Pakistani border posts, killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and wounding around 30 others. Wednesday’s engagement in Spin Boldak suggests that rather than de-escalating, the conflict is intensifying.

The Core of the Conflict: The Durand Line and TTP

The root of the ongoing tensions lies in two interconnected issues:

1. The Durand Line: Afghanistan has never officially recognized the Durand Line, the 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) border drawn by British India in 1896, which divides ethnic Pashtun and Baloch tribes. The Taliban government, like previous Afghan regimes, contests its legitimacy.

2. The TTP Sanctuary: Pakistan has long accused the Taliban government of providing a safe haven for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a designated terrorist group and separate entity from the Afghan Taliban. The TTP has waged a long-running insurgency against the Pakistani state. Pakistan alleges that recent TTP attacks on its soil originate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan, prompting its cross-border military actions.

Official Responses and Verification

As of this reporting, the Pakistani military has not issued an official statement regarding the specific claims made by the IEA. In the past, Islamabad has typically confirmed engaging with “terrorists” along the border but has rarely acknowledged casualties on the scale claimed by the Taliban.

The claims made by the IEA have not been independently verified by international media or observers. The remote and restricted nature of the border region makes immediate, impartial confirmation difficult.

The international community has repeatedly called for restraint from both sides, fearing that a full-blown border war would destabilize an already volatile region and create a new humanitarian crisis. The latest clash in Spin Boldak underscores the urgent need for diplomatic intervention before the situation spirals further out of control.

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