Translated with AI
On Tuesday, October 14, fresh armed clashes broke out between Pakistani and Afghan forces in a remote border area, the Associated Press reported, citing official sources. Pakistani media accused Afghan soldiers of "opening fire without provocation." The attack was repelled, with Pakistani troops damaging Afghan tanks and military outposts.
Tahir Ahrar, deputy police spokesman for Khost Province in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed the clashes but did not provide further details. According to sources, this is the second exchange of fire on the Pakistani-Afghan border in the past week.
Earlier, on the evening of October 11, Pakistani media reported that Afghan forces opened fire at several points along the border, including the city of Chitral in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the city of Bahramcha in Balochistan. In response, Pakistan used heavy artillery, tanks, drones, and fighter jets. Due to the escalation, a heightened state of alert was declared on the eastern border with India.
The clashes briefly ceased on October 12 following calls from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but all border crossings between the countries remain closed.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban ruling movement in Kabul, claimed the deaths of 58 Pakistani soldiers in response to alleged repeated violations of Afghan territory. The Pakistani military, meanwhile, reported 23 dead soldiers and the killing of over 200 "Taliban and associated militants."
The situation escalated after a series of explosions in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan on October 9. The Afghan Ministry of Defense accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty, while Islamabad declared the need to end the Pakistani Taliban's sanctuary on Afghan soil. Pakistani authorities accuse militants of killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021.
The shared border between the countries stretches for approximately 2,400 kilometers and was established in 1893. Some sections remain disputed. Amid the current escalation, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have called on Kabul and Islamabad to exercise restraint. Meanwhile, Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, with estimates of its arsenal ranging from 60 to 170 warheads.
