Kabul Claims 30 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Cross-Border Clashes; Islamabad Denies Losses

KABUL, Afghanistan – Authorities in Kabul have alleged that Taliban forces killed at least 30 Pakistani soldiers during intense clashes along the disputed Durand Line border, marking one of the most significant casualty claims in recent months. Pakistan has strongly denied the reports, dismissing them as “baseless propaganda.”

Enayatullah Khwarazmi, spokesman for the Taliban-controlled Ministry of National Defence, stated that the fiercest fighting occurred in the Shorabak district of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province. According to Khwarazmi, Taliban fighters launched an offensive that overran a Pakistani military outpost on the other side of the frontier.

He claimed that after seizing control of the position during the firefight, the outpost was subsequently destroyed with explosives. In his initial statement to media, Khwarazmi alleged that 30 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clashes, specifying that 20 of them were reinforcements sent to the embattled post.

In a separate incident along the border in the southeastern province of Paktia, Khwarazmi further claimed that Taliban fighters had captured five Pakistani military posts in the Dand Patan area. He asserted that forces had taken control of positions known locally as Top Sar Khwuch Karam and Anzerki Sar.

Pakistan Responds, Rejects Kabul’s Narrative

Pakistani authorities have  rejected the Taliban’s claims regarding the death of their soldiers. In an official response, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, described the reports as “totally baseless and factually incorrect.” Security officials in Islamabad maintain that their troops effectively responded to unprovoked firing from the Afghan side, inflicting significant casualties on the attackers.

While denying the loss of their own personnel, Pakistani officials have offered a counter-claim, stating that their retaliatory fire killed approximately 20 Taliban fighters during the various exchanges along the frontier. The ISPR did not provide specific figures but confirmed that border forces had responded “effectively” to aggression.

A Volatile and Disputed Frontier

These incidents are the latest in a series of periodic, often violent, flare-ups along the Durand Line, the 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border separating Afghanistan and Pakistan. The line, established in 1893, is recognized by Islamabad but has historically been disputed by Afghan governments, which argue it divides Pashtun and Baloch tribal lands. The current Taliban administration, while not explicitly redrawing maps, has frequently rejected Pakistani construction of fencing and military posts along the frontier.

The relationship between the Taliban-led government in Kabul and Islamabad has become increasingly fraught. Pakistan has long accused the Taliban of harboring militant groups, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who launch cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces from Afghan soil. Islamabad claims that recent violence is a direct result of these groups finding sanctuary in Afghanistan.

Conversely, Taliban authorities in Kabul have consistently blamed Pakistani forces for initiating hostilities, accusing them of violating Afghan airspace and territory with airstrikes and shelling. They deny harboring foreign militants, insisting that the security of all groups within Afghanistan is not their responsibility.

The competing casualty claims and the regular exchanges of fire underscore the deep mistrust and ongoing instability that continues to plague relations between the two neighbors, further destabilizing an already volatile region.

 

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