At least 18 Pakistani Army soldiers were killed, with several more captured, on Sunday as overnight clashes intensified along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The escalation follows retaliatory attacks by Afghan forces after Pakistan conducted an air raid on Kabul earlier this week, which Islamabad says targeted a Tehreek-e-Taliban militant leader.
The 2,640-kilometre-long Durand Line, forming the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, runs through rugged mountainous terrain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and other border regions.
Sources speaking to CNN-News18 said Afghan forces struck Pakistani outposts along the border in Shorabak, Maruf, and Arghistan districts of Kandahar province. The cross-border firing and artillery exchanges reportedly continued throughout the night.
According to the sources, Pakistan deployed drones and heavy weapons in an effort to assert technological superiority but still suffered significant casualties. They also claimed that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) conducted airstrikes on civilian villages along the border, resulting in injuries and destruction of homes. These actions, the sources said, were in line with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s earlier statement warning of “collateral damage."
Afghan forces claimed to have successfully seized a Pakistani military base during the operations, taking multiple dead bodies of Pakistan-backed militants. Meanwhile, Pakistani intelligence sources said their forces destroyed 19 Afghan check posts with heavy artillery and captured several positions. They alleged Afghan forces had attacked Pakistani troops at various points along the Durand Line in Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Helmand provinces.
Afghan Taliban sources reported that 18 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Helmand, with several members of the Frontier Corps, Khasadars, and other paramilitary forces captured alive. Two Pakistani soldiers were reportedly apprehended in Khost’s Palucha region.
Security sources added that seven Pakistani militia posts were destroyed in the Sarri Qaragah area of Loi Band in Maruf district of Kandahar, and Afghan forces launched additional attacks along other strategic routes.
Pakistan’s 7th Frontier Corps, part of the Azm Corps, confirmed the deaths of 12 soldiers in assaults on Pakistani military outposts in Bahram Cha district of Helmand province.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran have urged both nations to exercise restraint.
