In a dramatic escalation of border tensions, the Taliban regime reported killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and wounding 30 in a retaliatory strike along the Durand Line on Saturday night. According to the chief Taliban spokesman, the operation also saw the destruction of 20 Pakistani security outposts and the seizure of various weapons. Nine Afghan soldiers lost their lives and 16 were injured in the exchange. Hostilities were suspended at midnight following diplomatic interventions by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Taliban spokesperson also made serious accusations, claiming that ISIS-K is operating training centers within Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, using Karachi and Islamabad airports to transport recruits. They asserted that these bases were behind recent attacks in Iran and Moscow and called on Pakistan to extradite key ISIS-K figures. A request for a Pakistani delegation to visit Afghanistan was reportedly turned down by the Taliban as a response to prior Pakistani airstrikes. The Taliban warned of further retaliation for any breaches of Afghan sovereignty. The Ministry of Defence had previously condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes as a grave violation. Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister urged Pakistan to refrain from blaming Kabul for its internal security challenges and emphasized that historical attempts at military dominance in Afghanistan have failed.
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