Afghan Taliban Releases Drone Footage of Strikes on Pakistani Border Outposts Amid Escalating Conflict

Footage of a drone strike on a Pakistani outpost by the Afghan Taliban

New Delhi:

The Afghan Taliban has released video footage showing drone strikes targeting Pakistani border outposts amid one of the most severe conflicts between the two neighboring countries in recent years. Reports indicate dozens of Pakistani soldiers have been killed or are missing in action, while the Afghan Taliban has also sustained casualties.

The released black and white footage depicts a drone deploying what appears to be a mortar round onto a rectangular structure claimed to be a Pakistani outpost. Upon impact, the roof of the structure visibly exploded.

Tensions continue to escalate as Afghan tanks have been observed moving toward the Pakistani border battlefront.

Afghan Taliban claims they used drones to target Pakistani border outposts. Dozens of Pakistani soldiers have been killed or are missing as of now. Deadliest clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in years.

The current violence erupted following explosions in Afghanistan last week, including two in Kabul, which were attributed to Pakistan. In response, the Afghan Taliban government initiated an offensive along portions of its southern border, prompting Islamabad to pledge a forceful counter-response.

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), a claim that Kabul consistently denies.

In recent developments, Pakistan's military has reported Afghan Taliban attacks on two major border posts in the southwest and northwest regions. The drone footage likely originated from one of these incidents.

According to Pakistani authorities, both assaults were successfully repelled, resulting in approximately 20 Taliban fighters killed in attacks launched near Spin Boldak on the Afghan side of the frontier in southern Kandahar province early Wednesday.

The Afghan Taliban reported that 15 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in the clashes near Spin Boldak, with "two to three" of their fighters also killed.

Ali Mohammad Haqmal, an Afghan spokesman for the information department in the Spin Boldak region, claimed that civilians were killed by mortar fire. Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistani forces of "once again" conducting attacks "with light and heavy weapons" in the district.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif informed parliament last week that multiple attempts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to cease supporting the TTP had been unsuccessful. Islamabad alleges that the TTP - combat-trained in Afghanistan and claiming to share the Taliban's ideology - has been responsible for hundreds of Pakistani soldier deaths since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021.

The explosions in Afghanistan last week coincided with an unprecedented visit by the Taliban's top diplomat to India. No group has yet claimed responsibility for these blasts.