PESHAWAR – Tensions along the Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier are at all time high after Afghan Taliban launched unprovoked attacks on multiple border points ,triggering what Islamabad called an “immediate and effective” military response.
Taliban forces had “miscalculated” by opening fire across several sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the government, Pakistani security forces responded with full force, delivering what it described as “punishment” in the Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors.
Early battlefield reports, officials claimed, indicated heavy casualties on the Afghan side, along with the destruction of multiple posts and military equipment. “Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens,” the statement declared.
As reports and rumors swirled online, Mosharraf Zaidi, the prime minister’s spokesperson for foreign media, issued a late update around 11:40pm, insisting that not a single Pakistani post had been captured or damaged. He said Pakistani forces had inflicted “heavy losses” in response to what he termed unprovoked Taliban aggression.
Zaidi further stated that no Pakistani soldiers had been captured or killed, dismissing claims of damage as “fantasy.” His message was clear: any aggression against Pakistan would be met with the same swift and forceful retaliation.
Security sources painted a picture of intense cross-border retaliation. Pakistani forces reportedly destroyed Taliban hideouts and forced fighters to flee. A Taliban check post across from the Chitral sector was said to have been targeted and neutralized.
FulL-force responses were also reported in Nawagai (Bajaur), Tirah (Khyber), Mohmand district and the Arandu sector in Chitral. According to security officials, two Afghan posts across from Bajaur were destroyed in the exchange.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry echoed the government’s hard line, calling the Taliban’s actions “provocative.” He said Pakistani forces thwarted advances in Chitral, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur, inflicting significant losses and destroying multiple Afghan check posts and military assets.
“Pakistan will not compromise on its territorial integrity, sovereignty and protection of its people,” he asserted.
On the ground in Landi Kotal, residents reported artillery shells fired at border posts on Maro Sar and Shah Kot Sar in the Bazaar-Zakhakhel area. At least two mortar rounds reportedly landed in open compounds near residential areas, though no casualties or property damage were confirmed.
Cross-border firing began around 6pm and continued late into the night, sending local residents scrambling for safety. Similar sudden attacks had reportedly taken place earlier in the week in Wragha Sar, Maro Sar and Shahkot Sar, though Pakistani forces said those were also repelled.
During the latest clashes, border security forces at the Torkham crossing were placed on high alert. The key crossing has remained closed since October 12 last year amid rising tensions between the two neighbors.
Meanwhile, Afghan families awaiting repatriation were reportedly sent back to a holding center in Landi Kotal from the border’s zero point as the security situation deteriorated.
The fiery confrontation comes less than a week after Pakistan launched overnight strikes on alleged militant camps in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
Initially, officials claimed that more than 80 militants were killed in those airstrikes. Later, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told the Senate that reports suggested the toll could exceed 100.
At the time, Pakistan’s information ministry said the strikes were retaliation for a string of terrorist attacks inside the country — including a suicide bombing at an Islamabad imambargah and attacks in Bannu and Bajaur during Ramazan. The ministry claimed it had conclusive evidence that the violence was orchestrated by militants operating under Afghanistan-based leadership, and said seven camps linked to the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State-Khorasan were targeted with precision.
With artillery exchanges, airstrikes, and hardened rhetoric now dominating the narrative, the volatile border appears once again on the brink, raising fears of further escalation between Islamabad and Kabul’s Taliban rulers.
