Pakistan Army hits back after night of Afghan fire across multiple fronts | The Express Tribune

Unprovoked firing by Afghan forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border prompted a strong response from the Pakistan Army that continued through the night, resulting in the killing of several Afghan soldiers and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.

According to security sources, Afghan forces on Saturday night opened unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the border — including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Zhob district in Balochistan province.

The firing, they added, was aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of formations of “Khawarij” — TTP operatives. The Pakistan Army’s “alert and vigilant” posts responded swiftly and forcefully.

Several Afghan border posts were destroyed and dozens of Afghan soldiers and militants were killed. Taliban forces abandoned several posts and fled, leaving bodies scattered, according to security sources.

The Afghan Taliban Ministry of Defence, late into the night, released a statement saying: “We will now be stopping our ‘retaliatory actions’ against Pakistan and expect Pakistan not to strike back.” However, clashes continued across the border.

Afghan posts reportedly failed to provide cover and sustained heavy losses. Pakistan’s security forces employed artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weaponry. In addition, aerial assets and drones were used to target terrorist positions and Afghan force headquarters accused of sheltering Daesh and Khawarij elements.

Shelling continued, with the Pakistan Army targeting posts that aided terrorist organisations. Pakistani security forces also carried out strikes on Afghan terrorists in Chaghi, destroying several checkpoints and militant positions.

According to security forces, great caution was taken to ensure that only those Afghan posts aiding militants were targeted.

Video footage of the Afghan Jandusar post being destroyed was released. Other footage showed multiple Afghan posts destroyed overnight, with Afghan soldiers deserting their positions and leaving behind bodies and equipment.

Pakistani security forces also targeted Afghan posts opposite the Kurram border, demolishing several, some of which were seen engulfed in flames. Turkmanzai Top and Kharchur Fort — described by Pakistan’s military as militant hubs — were also effectively destroyed.

Read: Army delivers swift response to Afghan provocation

Pakistan’s security forces confirmed that Afghan posts in Liuband (Qila Abdullah sector), opposite Kunar and Bajaur, and another opposite Angoor Adda, South Waziristan, were destroyed.

Desertions among Afghan soldiers continued, with videos emerging of abandoned posts where uniforms and weaponry had been left behind.

According to security sources, Pakistan successfully struck the Taliban’s Manujba Camp Battalion Headquarters and Darani Camp. Reports indicated that dozens of Taliban fighters and foreign militants were killed at both locations.

Durani Camp-2 and Manujba Camp-2 — known militant launching pads — were also successfully targeted. A tank position located on a peak on the Afghan side of the Kurram border was hit, with several Afghan Taliban tanks destroyed in the strikes. Taliban’s Manujaba Camp 3 has also been decimated in Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes.

Security sources have confirmed that the Taliban’s Birkot base camp, located across the Chitral sector, has been destroyed. Video footage is said to show the site in ruins following the engagement and subsequent strikes, according to the sources. Security sources added that the destruction of the base has resulted in significant losses for the Afghan Taliban and foreign elements reportedly sheltering within the camp.

In its retaliatory operation, the Pakistan Army has destroyed the key Asmatullah Karar Camp of the Afghan Taliban in the Spin Boldak sector of Afghanistan, security sources confirmed. MajorityAfghan posts adjacent to Kurram arecompletely destroyed by the Pakistan armed forces, security sources confirmed.

At least 19 Afghan posts that allegedly facilitated terrorist groups were successfully targeted, security sources said.

In a second strike during retaliatory action, the Pakistan Army destroyed the Taliban’s Asmat Ullah Karar camp, located in the Spin Boldak sector of Afghanistan, security sources confirmed.

This camp was one of the largest Taliban bases, from where anti-Pakistan operations were being conducted, the sources said.

Total casualty figures remain unclear, but following the night’s hostilities, the Torkham border crossing was closed by Pakistani authorities. According to The Khorasan Diary, the crossing was shut down in response to Afghan aggression. Quraishi Badloon, head of Information and Culture, said Pakistan closed the Torkham border on Sunday for passengers, trade convoys and refugees.

Gulf nations call for calm

Saudi Arabia expresses concern over the border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It calls for restraint, dialogue, and wisdom to reduce tensions, affirming its support for regional efforts to achieve security and prosperity for both nations.

Qatar voices concern regarding the escalation and its potential repercussions. It urges both sides to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy to contain differences, reaffirming its support for international peace efforts and the security of the Pakistani and Afghan peoples.

Tensions escalate

“In retaliation for the air strikes by Pakistani forces,” Taliban border forces in the east “engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani forces’ posts in various border areas,” the Afghan military said in a statement.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government accused Pakistan on Friday of carrying out air strikes on its territory and warned of “consequences”. Islamabad said its patience with Kabul was running out, without acknowledging or denying the air strikes.

At a press conference on Friday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry “noted” reports of the strikes. “To protect the lives of the people of Pakistan, we are doing, and will continue to do, whatever is necessary. Our demand to Afghanistan: your soil must not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” he said.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to expel terrorists using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan — an accusation authorities in Kabul deny. The TTP and its affiliates are behind most of the violence in Pakistan, largely directed at security forces.

Read more: Six cops martyred as forces fight off TTP attack

Earlier this year, a UN report stated that the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities,” referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.

“We will not tolerate this any longer,” Asif said. “United, we must respond to those facilitating them, whether the hideouts are on our soil or Afghan soil.”

Diplomatic ties worsen

The clashes come as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visits India, marking New Delhi’s first high-level engagement with the Taliban.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Muttaqi commented on a recent explosion in Kabul, condemning the incident while blaming Pakistan. “Whatever the problems are in each country should be solved by themselves,” he said.

Also Read: Islamabad rebukes Kabul over terror remarks

Muttaqi further claimed there was no terrorist group left in Afghanistan. “If other countries achieve peace themselves as we did in Afghanistan, then there will be peace in the entire region. Since the last eight months, there has not been even a small incident in Afghanistan. In four years, no one has been harmed on Afghanistan’s soil. So this is the best proof that we have presented,” he said.

In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office issued a statement saying that Pakistan’s “strong reservations” on elements of the India-Afghanistan joint statement had been conveyed to Afghanistan’s ambassador in Islamabad by the Additional Foreign Secretary (West Asia & Afghanistan).

“Pakistan also strongly rejected the Afghan acting foreign minister’s assertion that terrorism is Pakistan’s internal problem,” the statement read.

It added that Pakistan had repeatedly shared detailed evidence regarding the presence of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan elements operating from Afghan soil against Pakistan, allegedly with support from elements within Afghanistan.