Pakistan have accused the Taliban government of backing cross-border attacks, as both sides report conflicting casualty figures and escalating clashes along the border.
Pakistan has announced what it calls an “open war” with neighboring state Afghanistan after launching overnight strikes.
Pakistan’s defence minister said the country had run out of patience and was now in direct conflict with Afghanistan. In a post on X, Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped Afghanistan would stabilise after NATO troops withdrew, and expected the Taliban to focus on the well-being of Afghans and regional peace.
Instead, he accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into what he described as “a colony of India,” gathering militants from around the world and exporting terrorism. “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. Afghan officials had not immediately responded to his remarks.
Pakistan has long accused India of supporting militant groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, allegations that New Delhi denies, reports the Mirror.
The comments came hours after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, as well as in Kandahar and Paktia Province, according to Pakistani officials and Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
Pakistan said the strikes were a response to cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.
Both sides have reported very different casualty figures and each claims to have inflicted heavy losses. Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed overnight, with some bodies taken into Afghanistan, and that several others were captured. It said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded.
The ministry added that 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases were destroyed, and that the fighting ended around midnight, roughly four hours after it began on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded. Meanwhile, Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied reports that Pakistani troops had been captured.
In another post on X, he said at least 133 Afghan fighters had been killed and more than 200 wounded, adding that 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred but said further losses were likely from strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.
Two senior security officials in Islamabad said Afghan forces at some border posts had raised white flags, typically seen as a signal to stop firing. They said Pakistani forces were continuing what they described as a strong retaliatory response to “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had destroyed several key Taliban positions along the border. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, though he did not provide details or evidence. He said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability directly and through friendly countries.
Authorities in Pakistan said dozens of Afghan refugees waiting to return home at the northwestern Torkham Border Crossing were moved to safer locations after the clashes began.
Pakistan began a major crackdown in October 2023 to expel undocumented migrants, urging them to leave voluntarily or face arrest and deportation. The policy pushed millions to cross into Afghanistan, including people born in Pakistan who had lived and worked there for decades.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, about 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan last year, with nearly 80,000 more having returned so far this year.
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