Tensions along Pakistan-Afghanistan flare up a second time this week

Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have further escalated as both sides resumed heavy gunfire on Thursday night.

This marks the second round of clashes following Pakistan’s recent airstrikes to target a “cross-border terrorist network”.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information officially confirmed the development, stating that the Afghan Taliban miscalculated by opening unprovoked fire at multiple locations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The ministry said Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately and effectively.

“Taliban forces are being targeted in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur sectors. Early reports indicate heavy casualties on the Afghan side, with multiple posts and equipment destroyed,” the statement added.

The ministry vowed that Pakistan would take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, announced large-scale offensive operations targeting Pakistani military centers and installations along the border, describing the actions as a response to repeated alleged “rebellions” within certain Pakistani military circles.

According to sources and local residents, intense clashes have erupted between Pakistani and Afghan security forces, with the main hotspots being along Pakistan’s Kurram and Bajaur border regions, and Afghanistan’s border areas in Khost, Nuristan, Nangarhar, and Kunar provinces.

In a post on X, Mujahid said that while Afghanistan “does not seek war, it has been targeted by Pakistan”. “We have the means to defend ourselves,” he said, warning that if the Afghan people are fully mobilized, controlling them would be impossible.

Mujahid warned that if Pakistan continues its operations, the Taliban could target key sites within Pakistani territory.

So far, details regarding casualties and damage remain unclear as both sides claim capturing multiple posts.

Clashes' timeline

Last week, Pakistan carried out airstrikes targeting camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan, following a series of attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistani security sources reported that more than 80 militants were killed in the strikes.

Pakistan has long maintained that the TTP leaders operate from Afghan soil, a claim that Kabul has consistently denied.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated following a series of explosions in Kabul on October 9 last year, which prompted Taliban forces to attack areas along Pakistan’s border. In response, Islamabad carried out cross-border shelling, causing casualties and infrastructure damage on both sides and leading to the suspension of trade as border crossings were closed on October 12.

Since then, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have held multiple rounds of negotiations in Qatar and Turkey, but the talks have so far failed to produce a resolution.