Security forces repulsed an attack by the Afghan Taliban along the Balochistan border on Wednesday, killing between 15 and 20 Afghan Taliban, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
According to a statement from the ISPR, the Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attacks[s] in four places [the] “In the Spin Boldak area” in the early hours of Wednesday. “The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces,” the statement said.
He added that when Pakistani troops repelled the attack, between 15 and 20 Afghan Taliban were killed and several more were wounded.
“The situation is still evolving. There are reports of increased concentration at concentration points Fitna-al-Khwarij and [the] Afghan Taliban,” the statement said.
Fitna-al-Khwarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The ISPR said the attack from the Afghan side was “unfortunately […] orchestrated through divided villages in the area, without regard [the] civilian population.”
“The Afghan Taliban also destroyed the Pakistan-Afghanistan Friendship Gate on their side, which clearly shows the mentality regarding mutual trade and bondage rights of the divided tribes,” he added.
The statement by the army’s media affairs wing underlined that the incident in Balochistan was an isolated incident.
“In [the] On the night of October 14-15, the Afghan Taliban and Fitna-al-Khwarij attempted to attack Pakistani border posts in Kurram sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“These attacks were effectively repulsed, causing heavy losses to the Afghan posts. Eight posts, including six tanks, were destroyed in the effective but proportionate response of the Pakistani troops. Between twenty-five and thirty Afghan Taliban and Fitna-al-Khwarij The fighters were suspected to have been killed,” the ISPR said.
The ISPR further stated: “Insinuations that the attack was initiated by Pakistan are outrageous and brazen lies, as are claims of capturing Pakistani posts or equipment. The propaganda of [the] “The Taliban regime can be discredited with basic fact checks.”
The statement also reaffirmed that “the armed forces are determined and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan. All acts of aggression against Pakistan will be responded to with full force.”
Ahead of today’s statement by the ISPR, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid also posted on social media platform X about the border incident in Balochistan.
It alleged that Afghan forces were “forced to retaliate” after attacks by Pakistani forces in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.
Mujahid claimed that more than 12 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured in the attacks carried out by Pakistani forces using “light and heavy weapons.” The Afghan government spokesman also claimed heavy losses on the Pakistani side, including the capture of posts and weapons, as well as fatalities.
The president and the prime minister praise the security forces
Following the incident in Balochistan, a statement on the PPP’s X account said that President Asif Ali Zardari had “strongly condemned” the cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.
“The attacks from Afghanistan are a flagrant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” the statement quoted him as saying, adding that he also paid tribute to the armed forces for their “courage and professional expertise.”
The president said the Afghan Taliban government was continually “violating” the 2020 Doha agreement, an agreement signed between the United States and the Afghan Taliban that included assurances from the Taliban that it would prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.
President Zardari accused the Afghan Taliban of “providing safe havens to Taliban terrorists,” who he said posed a threat to other countries in the region. The president said such measures were destabilizing the entire region, including Pakistan.
“The Afghan government is deviating from its promise to establish a broad-based representative government,” he further stated.
On the incidents along the border in Kurram and Balochistan, he said the Pakistan Army had “effectively repelled the attacks” in those areas.
He asked the Afghan authorities not to allow their territory to be used for terrorist and anti-Pakistan activities.
“Such attacks harm peace and friendly relations in the region,” the president said, adding that Pakistan wanted peaceful ties based on cooperation with all its neighbors.
“Any aggression against Pakistan will receive a strong and unequivocal response,” he said.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed concern over “incitement” by the Afghan Taliban. Fitna-al-Khwarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan (the state-designated term for terrorist organizations in Balochistan) on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He also paid tribute to the security forces for repelling the attack by the Afghan Taliban in the Kurram sector, the statement said. It further quoted the Prime Minister as observing that the Pakistan Army had given a “strong” response to the “unprovoked aggression” of the Afghan Taliban.
“National integrity will be defended at all costs. The use of Afghan soil for terrorist incidents in Pakistan is condemnable,” he added.
Strained ties
Today’s border clash in Balochistan is the third major skirmish between Pakistan and Afghanistan in a week, following the incident in Kurram last night and earlier skirmishes that began on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning at several places.
According to the ISPR, 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred and 29 were injured in the incident that began with the Afghan Taliban attacking posts across the border. The military’s media affairs wing also said credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment showed that “more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized, while the number of injured is much higher.”
Afghanistan claimed it carried out the attack as a “retaliation” measure, accusing Islamabad of carrying out airstrikes on its territory last week. For its part, Islamabad did not confirm whether it was behind the airstrikes, but stressed Pakistan’s right and determination to defend itself.
The weekend clash took place against a backdrop of Pakistan suffering multiple casualties among security forces in intelligence-based operations against terrorists.
Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to prohibit terrorist groups from using its territory to attack Pakistan; However, Afghanistan denies the allegations and claims that Afghan soil is not used for attacks against neighboring countries.
The issue of terrorists using Afghan soil against Pakistan has long strained ties between the two countries and ties appear to have taken a nosedive with the recent surge in border hostilities.
On Monday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said while speaking in Geographic news program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’ that there were no “links” between Islamabad and Kabul. “Right now we are at a stalemate. You can say there are no active hostilities, but the environment is hostile,” he said, adding: “There are no links, direct or indirect, so far.”
The minister also stated that hostilities between the two sides could resume “at any time.”
This is a developing story that will be updated as the situation evolves. Initial media reports can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as competent and qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Additional reporting by Irfan Sadozai
