Deadly Border Clash: Afghan Taliban and Pakistan Forces Exchange Heavy Fire Resulting in Dozens of Casualties

Taliban security personnel stand over military vehicles as Afghan men gather in their support

Dozens of casualties have been reported following intense cross-border clashes between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani forces that erupted early Wednesday. Reports indicate that Afghan Taliban forces successfully destroyed a Pakistani Army border outpost and captured a tank previously used by Pakistani military to target Taliban positions.

Both nations have accused each other of initiating the deadly confrontation that occurred across Pakistan's Chaman district and Afghanistan's Spin Boldak district in the southeast region.

Afghanistan claimed its forces eliminated 58 Pakistani soldiers during overnight border operations, while Pakistan asserted it killed more than 200 Afghan soldiers, acknowledging 23 casualties among its own forces.

The Afghan Taliban reported that at least 12 civilians were killed and over 100 injured following a Pakistani military strike on Spin Boldak, a strategic border district connecting Afghanistan's Kandahar province with Pakistan's Balochistan region.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on social media platform X that Pakistani forces initiated an attack on the border district early morning using both light and heavy weaponry. He reported that numerous Pakistani soldiers were killed when Afghan forces retaliated.

"Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which more than 12 civilians were martyred and more than 100 were injured. After that, Afghan forces were forced to take retaliatory action," Mujahid wrote.

Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces responded with firepower, resulting in significant Pakistani casualties, seizure of Pakistani weapons and tanks, and destruction of Pakistani military installations.

"In retaliatory operations, multiple Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed. However, the mujahideen, with high spirits, are ready to defend their homeland, sanctuaries, and people," he added.

Afghan Taliban forces also released footage showing bodies of 10 additional Pakistani police and security personnel killed during recent border confrontations. The video depicts Taliban leaders desecrating and mocking the deceased soldiers.

Conversely, Pakistan's state media reported that Afghan forces, together with Pakistani Taliban, fired upon a Pakistani post "without provocation," prompting what they described as a "strong response" from Pakistani troops in Kurram, a district within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to Pakistan TV, their forces retaliated by damaging Afghan tanks and military positions. Security officials informed the Associated Press that Pakistan's military had also destroyed a large training facility used by the Pakistani Taliban.

"Taliban forces attacked a Pakistani post near Chaman (district)," stated Habib Ullah Bangulzai, the regional administrator in Pakistan's Chaman district, to Reuters.

He noted that the combat continued for approximately five hours during early morning, claiming that Pakistani forces had "repulsed" the attack.

In a separate incident, the Pakistan Taliban attacked Mahmoodzai Post in the Ghiljo area of Orakzai, resulting in eight Frontier Corps (FC) personnel killed and several wounded. Some FC soldiers remain unaccounted for.

This marks the second exchange of fire along the border this week. Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated recently, with deadly gunfire exchanges raising concerns about potential wider regional conflict.

The fighting followed strikes in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and the border province of Paktika last Thursday, which the Taliban attributed to Pakistan. However, Islamabad has not officially acknowledged responsibility for these attacks.

This deadliest confrontation in recent years coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's landmark visit to India, causing concern in Islamabad.

Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harboring the terrorist group known as Pakistani Taliban (TTP), which Afghanistan's Taliban denies. Islamabad maintains that Afghanistan should prevent Pakistani Taliban militants from using its territory for attacks inside Pakistan, an allegation Kabul rejects.