Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated dramatically following a fierce retaliatory operation by Afghan forces along the volatile Durand Line. The Afghan National Defense Ministry announced on Friday that its troops launched a counteroffensive, resulting in the deaths of at least 55 Pakistani soldiers and the capture of two military bases along with 19 border posts.
The operation came in direct response to Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory that killed civilians, including women and children. According to the ministry, Pakistani forces had targeted residential areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces earlier in the week, prompting the Taliban-led government to vow military retaliation.
In a meticulously planned four-hour clash that stretched into the early hours of Friday, Afghan soldiers crossed into Pakistani territory, targeting security outposts in the eastern and southeastern sectors. They destroyed two Pakistani military bases and 19 checkpoints, forcing soldiers from four additional posts to flee. Among the spoils were dozens of light and heavy weapons, ammunition stockpiles, military supplies, a destroyed enemy tank, and a captured large transport vehicle.
The ministry reported eight Afghan soldiers killed and 11 wounded in the intense fighting. Separately, a Pakistani missile strike on a refugee camp in Nangarhar injured 13 Afghan civilians, including women and children, further fueling outrage.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in an interview with Al Arabiya English, condemned Pakistan’s actions as ‘shameful’ and confirmed a military response was inevitable. ‘Pakistan must answer for its disgraceful act,’ he stated, while refuting claims that Afghan soil is used for attacks against Pakistan.
This latest flare-up underscores the fragile security dynamics along the 2,600-km border, where mutual accusations of harboring militants persist. As both sides dig in, the risk of broader conflict looms large, with implications for regional stability.