Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistani and Afghan border forces clashed on Thursday night after the Taliban said it launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistani installations, escalating tensions after days of cross-border hostilities.
Overnight fighting along the frontier
Afghan forces opened fire on posts in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, sparking more than two hours of fighting before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Both Islamabad and the Taliban administration said they had destroyed or seized opposing posts along the frontier, claims that Reuters could not independently verify.
Footage shared by both sides
Videos shared by Afghan security forces showed Humvees driving through dark, mountainous terrain at night, lit by flashes of gunfire. Sustained bursts of automatic fire could be heard in the background.
Separate footage released by Pakistani security sources appeared to show tracer rounds arcing across a similar barren, mountainous landscape, with sustained bursts of automatic fire echoing through the valleys.
Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the location, timing or authenticity of the footage.
Pakistan statement on response
Pakistan was responding to “unprovoked fire” by Afghan forces at multiple locations along the border, the Information Ministry in Islamabad said in a post on X.
It said troops delivered an “immediate and effective response”, inflicting casualties and destroying multiple posts and equipment, adding that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and citizens.
Ceasefire strain after recent hostilities
The clashes along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) border are the latest flare-up to threaten a fragile ceasefire following deadly clashes last October.
Background to the latest escalation
Earlier this week, the Taliban warned it would make an “appropriate and measured response” to airstrikes launched by Pakistan over the weekend on what Islamabad said were camps of militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State in Khorasan Province in eastern Afghanistan.
How might the latest border clashes affect efforts to maintain the ceasefire?
