Pakistan says 15-20 Afghan Taliban killed as forces repel attacks near key border crossing

Pakistan’s military said Wednesday it had repelled coordinated attacks by Taliban fighters along its western frontier with Afghanistan, killing dozens, as tensions between the two neighbors erupted into their most serious border clashes in months.

In a statement, the Pakistan Army said its forces “successfully repelled coordinated attacks by Afghan Taliban fighters on multiple border locations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the early hours of Wednesday.”

The fighting reportedly centered near the Spin Boldak crossing — one of the busiest trade routes between the two countries — and in Pakistan’s Kurram district, both along the porous border that separates the Taliban-run nation from Pakistan’s restive northwest.

Pakistan said Taliban fighters used heavy weapons and attacked several border posts, damaging the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate at Spin Boldak. “While repulsing the attack, 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban were killed and many injured,” the army said.

During a separate assault in Kurram, Pakistani forces killed 25 to 30 Afghan militants, the army said.

Rejecting Taliban claims that Pakistan initiated the violence, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), called the allegations “outrageous and blatant lies.”

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan stand resolute and fully prepared to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country,” the statement said. “All acts of aggression against Pakistan will be responded to with full force.”

What does Afghanistan say?

Afghanistan’s Taliban government, meanwhile, accused Pakistani forces of launching unprovoked attacks on Spin Boldak in Kandahar province.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed more than 12 civilians were killed and over 100 injured, saying Afghan forces were “compelled to retaliate,” seizing Pakistani checkpoints and destroying military installations.

Last week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not claim responsibility for the assault.

The border violence marks a sharp escalation in relations between the two sides, who were once allies.

Pakistan was among the few countries to maintain close ties with the Taliban after their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

But Islamabad now accuses Kabul of sheltering militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban that has intensified attacks on Pakistani forces in recent months. The Taliban deny the charge.

Border crossings for trade and travel have remained closed since Monday, halting truck convoys and disrupting food and fuel supplies to Afghanistan.

Pakistan is a key trade route and supplier for the landlocked nation, which already faces severe economic and humanitarian challenges.

The renewed clashes have drawn international concern, with China asking both countries to protect its citizens and investment and investments, Russia urging restraint, and U.S. President Donald Trump saying he could help end the conflict.