Afghanistan Pakistan border clashes intensify after reported retaliatory strikes along Durand Line

Afghanistan’s military says it carried out retaliatory strikes against Pakistani positions after Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan earlier in the week. Pakistan confirmed clashes along the border but rejected Afghan claims and described the attacks as unprovoked. The fighting was reported across several provinces along the Durand Line.

Fresh fighting broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Thursday night. Afghanistan’s military said it struck Pakistani positions after earlier Pakistani airstrikes. Pakistan confirmed clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but rejected Afghan claims. Islamabad described the Afghan fire as unprovoked. The Durand Line border remains a long-running source of tension between the neighbours.

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said the response operations stretched across five border provinces. The ministry claimed 17 Pakistani army posts were captured and 40 soldiers were killed. It also said 13 bodies were taken into Afghanistan. Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid added on X that some Pakistani soldiers were seized alive.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes along the Durand Line

Pakistan’s Information Ministry said Afghanistan opened fire at multiple locations on the border. It said Pakistan’s security forces responded "immediate and effective\". Early reports, it said, pointed to heavy Afghan losses. The statement also said several posts and equipment were destroyed. It added: \"Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens,\"

Pakistan did not issue an official response on Afghanistan’s casualty figures. Islamabad also did not confirm claims about captured soldiers or seized posts. Pakistan’s government had earlier said Sunday’s strikes hit militants based in the area. On Thursday, it again pushed back against Kabul’s account of events. Afghanistan has not formally recognised the Durand Line.

Pakistan-Afghanistan military claims after airstrikes

Afghanistan’s eastern military corps said intense clashes began on Thursday night. It said the fighting followed recent Pakistani strikes in eastern Afghanistan. Mujahid wrote on X: \"In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,\"

Afghanistan’s military also released video showing vehicles moving at night. The footage included loud sounds of gunfire and explosions. The material could not be independently verified. Pakistan also presented its own account through official statements. Both sides issued claims while fighting continued across the border.

Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions and recent peace efforts

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire has mostly held in recent weeks. Still, troops have exchanged fire at times along the frontier. Peace talks held in November did not deliver a formal deal. The two countries share a 2,611-kilometre boundary. Cross-border incidents have kept relations unstable for months.

Hours before the clashes, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry defended the Sunday strikes. Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the targets were training camps of the Pakistani Taliban. Speaking in Islamabad on Thursday, Andrabi said the attacks were \"precision strikes\". Andrabi said they followed recent militant attacks inside Pakistan.

Andrabi said Pakistan remains \"cognizant of the threats that emanate from Afghanistan.\" Pakistan blames many attacks on \"Khawarij", a term it uses for the Pakistani Taliban. Andrabi said violence inside Pakistan has risen over the past year. Andrabi also said, "We have nothing against the people of Afghanistan,\"

Pakistan’s military said Sunday’s strikes killed at least 70 militants. Afghanistan rejected that claim and said civilians died in the attacks. Kabul said women and children were among those killed. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said a religious madrassa and homes were hit. It called the strikes a breach of airspace and sovereignty.

Tension has been rising since deadly clashes in October. Those incidents killed soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. Afghanistan later blamed Pakistan for explosions in Kabul. Islamabad then carried out strikes deeper inside Afghanistan, citing militant hideouts. Thursday’s border firefights added to that cycle of claims and retaliation.

Militant violence in Pakistan has increased in recent years. Islamabad blames the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the TTP, and banned Baloch separatist groups. The TTP is separate from but close to Afghanistan’s Taliban. Pakistan says the TTP operates from Afghanistan, which Kabul and the group deny.

With inputs from PTI