Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed after crossing from Pakistan; Islamabad denies involvement

Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in the eastern province of Nuristan after a group it said included Islamic State militants crossed from Pakistan. Pakistan rejected allegations that its personnel or militias were involved.

Afghanistan’s account

The defence ministry said the group crossed into Kamdesh, a district near the Pakistani border, on Saturday intending to carry out attacks. Afghan forces launched an operation, and the surviving fighters fled back across the border towards Pakistani militia positions, it said.

The ministry alleged that Pakistani armed personnel and militia members had coordinated with the fighters but withdrew when fighting began. It said most of the fighters were former Afghan government security personnel and accused Pakistani intelligence of taking such personnel to Pakistan under the pretext of offering assistance, training them and sending them towards Nuristan.

Pakistan’s response

Pakistan’s information ministry rejected the allegations in a post on X, calling them “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth”. It denied that Pakistani security forces or intelligence agencies were involved in the Nuristan clashes, had recruited or trained former Afghan security personnel, or had facilitated Islamic State or other militant groups in Afghanistan.

The ministry said Afghanistan had produced no evidence of Pakistani involvement. It also disputed a video circulating on social media that it said was being used to support the allegations, describing the footage as staged.

The Afghan claim directly alleges state involvement in an armed incursion. It comes less than a week after Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, saying it had targeted militants. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering fighters who attack its territory, a charge Kabul denies.

Reuters could not independently verify Afghanistan’s account or its casualty figures.