Pakistan on Saturday claimed it had killed more than 300 Afghan security personnel in extensive artillery and air strikes deep inside Afghanistan, as cross-border hostilities between the two neighbours escalated sharply.
( Source : AP )
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said more than 331 Afghan forces were killed and over 500 wounded during ongoing military operations. He added that Pakistani forces destroyed 102 Afghan military posts, captured 22 others, and destroyed 163 tanks and armoured vehicles across 37 locations.
The escalation follows days of heavy exchanges after Afghanistan allegedly launched a cross-border attack late Thursday in response to Pakistani airstrikes carried out last Sunday.
‘Open War’ Declaration
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif declared Friday: “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us.”
Islamabad maintains that its strikes are targeting the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban — a group separate from but closely aligned with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of sheltering TTP militants, a charge both the group and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government deny.
Pakistan’s army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Friday that the Afghan government had only one choice: “either choose TTP or Pakistan.”
Afghanistan Rejects Claims
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said Saturday that its forces carried out retaliatory strikes overnight on Pakistani military bases in Miranshah and Spin Wam, claiming heavy casualties and destruction of installations.
Earlier, Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected Pakistan’s casualty figures as false, asserting that Afghan losses were significantly lower. Kabul also said 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed during its retaliatory strikes.
In eastern Afghanistan, the Department of Information and Culture accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas, destroying homes and killing at least 11 civilians. Pakistan denies targeting civilians, insisting operations are focused solely on military infrastructure and TTP hideouts.
Border Crisis at Torkham
Hundreds of civilians living near the Torkham border crossing have fled amid heavy shelling, according to Pakistani authorities. Dozens of Afghan refugees waiting at Torkham to return home have reportedly been transported to safer areas inside Pakistan.
Ejaz Ul Haq, an Afghan refugee stranded near the crossing, said families were struggling to access food during the fasting month of Ramadan due to the fighting.
An Afghan border official, Mullah Taj Mohammad Naqshbandi, said Afghan forces destroyed several Pakistani military facilities and security towers during retaliatory operations.
Ceasefire Collapses
Tensions between the two countries have remained high since October, when intense border clashes killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. A Qatari-mediated ceasefire had temporarily reduced hostilities, but several rounds of peace talks in Turkey failed to produce a lasting agreement.
The ceasefire effectively collapsed last week after Pakistan launched fresh strikes against what it described as TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan.
International Mediation Efforts
Multiple countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China are attempting to mediate. Qatar’s Minister of State, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, held talks Friday with the foreign ministers of both nations in an effort to de-escalate tensions, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.
With both sides trading heavy accusations and military strikes, analysts warn the conflict risks spiralling into a broader regional crisis unless urgent diplomatic intervention succeeds.
