Major border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan were shut down after intense overnight clashes, prompted by Taliban claims that Islamabad had launched air strikes earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, the Taliban government claimed on Sunday that its forces killed “58 Pakistani troops” in border clashes that erupted between the neighbouring countries overnight. Nine Taliban troops were also killed, government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference in Kabul.
Relations between the neighboring countries have been strained since the Taliban regained control in Kabul in 2021. Pakistan blames Afghan authorities for sheltering militants who launch attacks on its territory, a charge that Afghanistan rejects.
Saturday night’s assault by Taliban forces on Pakistani troops along the border stemmed from accusations that Islamabad had breached Afghanistan’s sovereignty, following explosions reported in Kabul and southeastern regions two days prior.
Officials from both sides of the border told AFP that crossings at Torkham, which connects Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Nangarhar in Afghanistan, and Chaman, more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the southwest, were closed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif condemned what he said were “provocations by Afghanistan” along Pakistan’s border area overnight.
“There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements”.
A senior Pakistani official in Torkham told AFP extra paramilitary troops had been sent to the area, which sits on the border between Kabul and Islamabad.
“The Torkham border has been completely closed for pedestrian movement and trade,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“Security forces have also pulled out all civilian staff posted at the border, so they are not harmed in case of further firing,” he said.
Another Pakistani border official at Chaman, which links Balochistan province with Kandahar, the birthplace of the Afghan Taliban, said the crossing was “sealed”.
Other Pakistani officials said there had been clashes using heavy weapons in at least four border districts, but there had been no casualties on their side.
The Afghan military said on Saturday night that Taliban forces were engaged “in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas”.
Taliban defence ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarazm later told AFP that the “successful” operations had ended at midnight.
Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported on Sunday morning.
Militancy has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.
The TTP, separate to the Afghan Taliban but which shares the same ideology and is trained in combat in Afghanistan, and its allies are accused by Islamabad of killing hundreds of its soldiers since 2021.
Islamabad has not confirmed that it was behind Thursday’s strikes that sparked the border clashes.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Qatar have urged both sides to “exercise restraint”.
TTP militants have intensified their campaign of violence against Pakistani security forces in the mountainous areas bordering Afghanistan in recent months.
More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a military spokesman said on Friday.
A UN report this year said the TTP “receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities”, referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “The Pakistani government and army’s patience has run out.”
The Controversial Durand Line
The Durand Line has served as the de facto border between Pakistan and Afghanistan since 1947, but it has never been officially recognized by Afghanistan.
The border was established in 1893 between British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan. It is named after Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, who served as the foreign secretary of the colonial government of India.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Islamabad had hoped for a friendly government in Kabul that would recognize the sanctity of the Durand line.
However, an earlier statement by the Afghan Defense Ministry made it clear that the Taliban does not recognize the Durand Line. It is a clear indication that the Afghan-Pakistan border will continue to be a source of constant instability and tensions between the two countries.
With Inouts By Agence France-Presse
