Tensions Flare as Taliban Confirms ‘Retaliatory’ Attacks on Pakistani Troops

Breaking News: Cross-Border Fire Erupts on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border

The already volatile relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan has escalated sharply, with the Taliban confirming it carried out attacks on Pakistani troops across multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.

The Taliban labelled these actions as “retaliatory operations,” claiming they were in response to Pakistan violating Afghan airspace and bombing a civilian market near its border on Thursday. The scale of casualties remains unclear from the intense fighting.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, fiercely condemned the Afghan attacks, calling them “unprovoked” and a direct firing on civilian populations. Naqvi warned of a severe response, stating Pakistan’s forces would reply “with a stone for every brick” and that the firing was a “blatant violation of international laws.”

Islamabad has long accused the Taliban government of harboring terrorists who use Afghan soil to target Pakistan, specifically the Pakistan Taliban (TTP). The Taliban government has consistently rejected this claim.

Reports indicate that both Afghan and Pakistani forces deployed small arms and artillery in the clashes, specifically in the Kunar-Kurram region. A Pakistani security source indicated that firing took place at numerous points along the border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral, and Baramcha.

A local police official in the Kurram district reported that heavy weapons fire initiated from the Afghan side around 22:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

Last week, the tension had already mounted after the Taliban accused Pakistan of violating Kabul’s “sovereign territory” following loud blasts heard in the city, which the Taliban Defence Ministry claimed was the bombing of a civilian market in the southeastern province of Paktika.

The latest cross-border exchange occurred during a significant week: Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made his first historic trip to India since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The trip resulted in a diplomatic thaw, with Delhi agreeing to reopen its embassy in Kabul.

Minister Naqvi took the opportunity to issue a potent warning: “Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with a malicious eye,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the international community has called for de-escalation. Saudi Arabia, a key ally that recently signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan, urged self-restraint from both Islamabad and Kabul. Qatar also voiced concern, imploring both sides to “prioritise dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint.”