Border Tensions Escalate: Taliban Claims Retaliatory Strikes on Pakistani Troops

Fri Oct 17 2025 00:54:51 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Taliban claims to have killed 58 Pakistani troops in retaliatory attacks amid rising tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, while Pakistan disputes these figures and warns of severe consequences.

In a significant escalation of violence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the Taliban government announced an attack on Pakistani troops resulting in numerous casualties. Taliban spokespeople reported that 58 Pakistani military personnel were killed, describing the operation as retaliation for alleged airspace violations and attacks on Afghan territory. Pakistan contests this, citing a lower death toll and countering that it has suffered fewer casualties but has neutralized a larger number of Taliban militants. The situation has prompted Pakistan to close key border crossings. Both sides accuse each other of harboring terrorism, heightening an already tense and complicated relationship.

The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.

A Taliban spokesman said 58 Pakistani military personnel had been killed in what it called an act of retaliation. It claimed Pakistan had violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.

Pakistan has disputed that figure, saying 23 of its armed forces' members had died and claiming that 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the Afghan attacks were unprovoked and civilians were fired at, warning that his country's forces would respond with a stone for every brick.

Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban government rejected. Both the Afghan and Pakistani sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.

During a recent press conference, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reported that in addition to the Pakistani military deaths, about 30 others were wounded, while nine Taliban fighters had died and between 16 and 18 were injured.

Pakistan Armed Forces stated 29 of its soldiers had been injured, citing that the number of wounded Taliban and associated fighters was in the hundreds. Afghanistan’s foreign minister emphasized that there were no problems with Pakistan's citizens but highlighted the need to defend its territory.

Pakistan's interior minister condemned the Taliban's attacks as a blatant violation of international laws and stated that "Afghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood," warning that civil populations in Pakistan are at risk.

The two main crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan - Torkham in the north and Chaman in the south - have been closed, causing significant disruptions for trade and movement between the nations.

Pakistan's military has not officially commented, though security sources reported multiple locations along the border experienced heavy firing, prompting increased tensions on both sides.

This latest violence comes after Afghanistan's Taliban accused Pakistan of bombing Afghan territory, further straining bilateral relations. The Taliban has denied providing safe haven to militants targeting Pakistan.