Pakistan and Afghanistan face a new wave of border violence
Taliban patrol the Afghan-Pakistani border after an exchange of fire between both forces
porEditorial Team
Argentina
The clashes at the border left dozens of soldiers from both countries dead and at least 12 Afghan civilians
Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces intensified on Wednesday, leaving dozens of military personnel and at least 12 Afghan civilians dead, according to authorities from both countries.
The fighting resumed before dawn along several points of the border, especially near the Pakistani city of Chaman and the Afghan district of Spin Boldak, in Kandahar province.
Talibán en un tanque cerca de la frontera con Pakistán
According to Kabul, Afghan forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliation for alleged violations of Afghan airspace. Meanwhile, Pakistan's army reported the deaths of 23 of its troops and stated that the attack was repelled with "heavy losses" for Taliban positions.
Fighting in populated areas and civilians trapped
Medical sources in Chaman indicated that several people were injured and taken to local hospitals. Witnesses reported mortar shells falling on Pakistani villages, prompting the evacuation of numerous families. " This fighting started early and people living near the border area are leaving the zone," said Najibullah Khan, a local resident who called for an immediate ceasefire.
Talibanes patrullan la frontera afgano-pakistaní tras un intercambio de fuego entre ambas fuerzas
The clashes left more than a hundred injured and affected both civilians and soldiers from both countries. Although the fighting briefly ceased following calls from Saudi Arabia and Qatar last Sunday, border crossings remain closed and hostilities resumed on Wednesday.
Mutual accusations and nighttime operations
The Afghan Ministry of Defense denounced that Pakistan used light and heavy weapons in attacks on Spin Boldak, while Islamabad accused Afghan forces of opening fire "without provocation" in the Kurram district, in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan's army claimed to have killed between 15 and 20 Afghan Taliban fighters and destroyed a training facility used by the extremist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ally of the Afghan Taliban. According to Pakistani state media, the latest attacks were coordinated by the Afghan Taliban and the TTP in an attempt to assault military posts on the Pakistani side.
Tension between former allies
For years, Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban maintained a cooperative relationship, but ties deteriorated after the Taliban came to power in 2021. Pakistan accuses the Islamist government of sheltering the TTP, responsible for numerous attacks on Pakistani soil. Kabul denies that accusation and keeps that it doesn't allow its territory to be used for operations against other countries.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the attack was retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and in a market in eastern Afghanistan. However, Islamabad called those claims false and reaffirmed its right to respond "to any aggression in self-defense."
Islamist violence spills over the region
The clashes show how the political and religious violence dominating Afghanistan since the return of the Taliban has spread beyond its borders, reigniting historic ethnic and sectarian conflicts in the region.
Talibán en un tanque cerca de la frontera con Pakistán
Unlike other border crises, the current escalation combines military, religious, and internal power elements, with both governments seeking to consolidate authority in the face of rival Islamist factions.
The closure of crossings and the persistence of nighttime attacks worsen the humanitarian situation in the border area, where thousands of families depend on daily trade and cross-border movement.
