Taliban reports 58 Pakistani soldiers killed and posts captured in retaliation, while Pakistan claims over 200 militants neutralized and 23 own troops lost in counteroffensives.
Clashes stem from Pakistani airstrikes on alleged TTP sites in Afghanistan, amid accusations of cross-border militancy and a surge in attacks—the deadliest year in Pakistan in a decade.
Border closures halt vital trade; Taliban-India diplomatic thaw heightens strains, with global powers urging de-escalation to prevent spillover into regional war.
Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani troops have claimed dozens of lives, marking the deadliest exchange since the Taliban's 2021 return to power in Kabul. The fighting, which raged overnight into Wednesday in southeastern Afghanistan's Spin Boldak district and Pakistan's Chaman area, involved heavy artillery and small arms fire, leading to the shutdown of key border crossings and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistani forces of launching the assault with "light and heavy weapons," killing 12 civilians and injuring over 100 on the Afghan side. In retaliation, Afghan forces claimed to have captured three Pakistani border posts, destroyed outposts in Kunar and Helmand provinces, and inflicted 58 soldier deaths plus 30 injuries, with the skirmish lasting about five hours before tapering off. Mujahid added that nine Taliban soldiers were killed and a dozen wounded, while warning of strong responses to further airspace violations.
Pakistan's military rejected the claims as "outrageous lies," asserting that Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants initiated an unprovoked attack on their posts. In counterstrikes, Pakistani forces reported killing over 200 "Taliban and affiliated terrorists," capturing 19-25 Afghan posts, and dismantling training camps, with 23 soldiers martyred and 29 wounded. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) highlighted strikes on Afghan camps in Noshki sector, neutralizing dozens of fighters.
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The escalation follows Pakistani airstrikes on alleged TTP hideouts in Kabul and Paktika earlier in the week, which the Taliban blamed for the reprisals, amid Islamabad's accusations that Afghanistan harbors militants responsible for over 2,414 fatalities in Pakistan this year—the highest in a decade. The Taliban denies sheltering TTP fighters, countering that Pakistan supports anti-Taliban groups. Tensions are compounded by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's recent visit to India, where ties were upgraded, drawing sharp rebuke from Islamabad. Major crossings like Torkham and Chaman remain closed for a second day, disrupting trade along the disputed 2,600-km Durand Line. International calls for restraint from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and U.S. President Donald Trump underscore mediation efforts to avert broader instability.
