Dozens were killed and injured as intense cross-border clashes broke out between Afghan and Pakistani forces early Wednesday. As per the media reports, Taliban fighters destroyed a Pakistan Army border post and captured a military tank used in the assault.
Both sides traded blame for the deadly clashes spanning Pakistan’s Chaman district and Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak region. Kabul claimed its forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers overnight, while Islamabad asserted over 200 Afghan troops were killed and 23 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives.
In a statement shared on X, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Pakistani forces launched an attack on the border district early morning using light and heavy weapons.
Mujahid said that multiple Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliatory action by Afghan forces, Afghanistan’s leading news agency Khaama Press reported.
“Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which more than 12 civilians were martyred and more than 100 were injured. After that, Afghan forces were forced to take retaliatory action,” Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X.
“In retaliatory operations, multiple Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed. However, the mujahideen, with high spirits, are ready to defend their homeland, sanctuaries, and people,” he added.
Taliban officials reported that clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces erupted around 4 a.m. (local time) and continued until 8 a.m.
According to local sources, the exchange of fire resulted in casualties on both sides and caused significant damage to nearby civilian areas.
Medical personnel in Kandahar told local media that at least 25 bodies and more than 80 injured individuals were brought to hospitals following the incident. Officials added that several of the wounded were women and children from residential neighborhoods close to the border.
The confrontation comes amid rising tensions along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, following a series of clashes and airstrikes in recent days.