Clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan leave dozens dead on the border.
Confusion over the exact number of victims and wounded in the night operations, the most serious in recent times
Pakistan and Afghanistan entered a new spiral of violence on their border this weekend, with dozens of deaths and a diplomatic escalation that threatens to exacerbate regional instability. According to Pakistani military sources, 23 Pakistani soldiers and more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters have died in the clashes, while Kabul lowers its own death toll to 9 and claims the Pakistani dead at 58. Islamabad blames Afghan forces, while the Taliban maintains that it acted in "retaliation" for the bombings that, it claims, Pakistan carried out on Afghan territory on Friday. In response to the escalation, the Pakistani government has closed all border crossings with Afghanistan, including the main ones at Torkham and Chaman, along the historic Durand Line.
The clashes subsided considerably on Sunday morning, according to Pakistani security sources. However, in the Kurram region of Pakistan, intermittent fire was still being reported, according to local witnesses. The Afghan Ministry of Defense had previously reported that its operation had concluded at midnight local time. Kabul explained that it had halted the attacks at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two Gulf states that had previously expressed concern about the escalating war.
In parallel, Pakistani authorities announced the closure of all border crossings with Afghanistan along the 2,600-kilometer border, a line disputed since the colonial era known as the Durand Line, drawn by the British in 1893. At least three secondary crossings: Kharlachi, Angoor Adda, and Ghulam Khan.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed on social media that his country's military actions are not directed against Afghan civilians. "Unlike the Taliban forces, we act with utmost caution to avoid civilian casualties. We trust that the Taliban government will take clear measures against terrorist elements and those responsible who want to sabotage relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan," he said.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since August 2021, when the Taliban regained control of Kabul following the withdrawal of US troops and the fall of the Afghan republican government. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring insurgent groups acting against Pakistan.