Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Flare-Up: 58 Pak Soldiers Killed; Operation Halted After Qatar, Saudi Mediation

A deadly exchange of fire between Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistani security personnel occurred late Saturday night (October 11, 2025) along the Durand Line, escalating already tense relations between Kabul and Islamabad. According to Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clash.

Additionally, nine Afghan soldiers also lost their lives, and 16 others were injured. The violence reportedly broke out after Taliban fighters opened fire on several Pakistani border posts, including those in Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Baramcha in Balochistan.

However, Afghanistan’s operation against Pakistani military outposts has now been halted, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, announced on Sunday (October 12, 2025). The mediation was done by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He added that defending the country’s airspace and territory is Afghanistan’s legitimate right and that no attack will go unanswered.

Taliban attacks Pakistan: How Afghan government justify military actions?

Afghan Defence Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid described the strikes as a “retaliatory” response to what he termed Pakistan’s “repeated transgressions.” He asserted that Afghan forces were “fully prepared to defend” the country’s borders and had delivered a “resolute response” by targeting Pakistani military and militia outposts.

Worth noting here is that Taliban’s latest attack on Pak soldiers comes just a few days after the latter conducted air strikes in Kabul, coinciding with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s India visit, a first since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

Mujahid further warned that the Islamic Army has been instructed to remain on high alert, adding any further aggression from Pakistan would be met with a “more severe” response. He reiterated that Afghanistan would defend its territorial sovereignty and would “not leave any attack unanswered.”

Were any Pakistani military positions captured?

Yes. According to Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the Afghan provincial government in Helmand, Afghan forces launched operations near Bahramcha district and succeeded in capturing three Pakistani security posts. Kabul-based Hurriyat Radio confirmed the developments, marking one of the most aggressive cross-border actions by the Taliban since assuming power in 2021.

What has been Pakistan’s response to the escalation?

Pakistan responded by closing its major border crossings with Afghanistan, including Torkham and Chaman, on Sunday. Additionally, at least three smaller trade and transit points — Kharlachi, Angoor Adda, and Ghulam Khan — were also shut down, effectively halting cross-border movement.

While Pakistan did not publicly confirm airstrikes earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Islamabad of bombing Kabul and a market in eastern Afghanistan, contributing to rising tensions.

According to Pakistani defence sources cited by The Express Tribune, the Taliban’s initial firing was allegedly intended to facilitate the illegal entry of Khwarij, the state’s term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), into Pakistani territory. In response, Pakistani forces reportedly launched a counteroffensive, destroying multiple Afghan border posts and inflicting heavy casualties on both Afghan soldiers and TTP operatives.

What is Pakistan’s official stance on recent Taliban attacks?

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the Afghan attacks as “unprovoked” and stressed that the Pakistani military was delivering a strong response. “Firing by Afghan forces on civilian population is a blatant violation of international laws,” Naqvi said in a statement on X.

He added, “Our brave forces have responded promptly and effectively. No provocation will be tolerated.”

Following the air strikes on Kabul, while Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not confirm the same but described them as legitimate counterterrorism actions against militant groups threatening its security. It noted that the operations were part of “legitimate counterterrorism measures” targeting militants based across the border.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters on Friday (October 10, 2025) that the actions were intelligence-based and aimed at protecting Pakistani citizens from threats posed by militant groups, including the TTP.

Why is TTP a core issue in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations?

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains the most significant source of tension between the two countries. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to TTP fighters on Afghan soil. Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, the TTP has intensified its insurgency, reportedly killing hundreds of Pakistani security personnel.

While the Taliban denies officially supporting the TTP, the group shares ideological and operational ties with its Afghan counterpart. Pakistan has repeatedly urged Kabul to crack down on the TTP, but little progress has been made.

Meanwhile, former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Peace Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that Pakistan’s airstrikes on Kabul risk triggering a broader conflict. “Pakistan’s attack against the capital of Afghanistan appears to have been a failure,” he wrote in a post on X on Saturday.

“It seems that the person who was targeted may not have been in Kabul at all. What might Islamabad do next? More attacks? Pakistani aircraft have been flying over Kabul breaking the sound barrier. Afghans are also preparing for a response. Some leaders are pushing for immediate retaliation. The probability of conflict and wider instability is on the rise.”

Khalilzad, who is known for having brokered the 2020 US-Taliban peace agreement, noted that “at times when crises heat up, diplomacy can come to the rescue.”