Dozens of Pakistani soldiers killed in overnight border attacks, Afghanistan claims

Afghanistan said on Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response to what it called repeated breaches of its territory and airspace.

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

Chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said 58 soldiers were killed and 30 injured. Afghan forces captured 25 Pakistani army posts, he added.

“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Mr Mujahid said from Kabul. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan about casualties.

The Pakistani military gave a different count, saying 23 of its soldiers were killed by Afghan forces, and another 29 injured. Pakistan also said “credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment” showed its military killed more than 200 members of the Afghan Taliban regime and militants.

“The infrastructural damages to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters and support networks of terrorists are extensive, all along the border and range from tactical to operational depth,” the Pakistan military said in a statement.

The Afghan Defence Ministry said early on Sunday morning its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the border.

“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry added.

The Torkham border crossing, one of two main trade routes between the countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8am, Associated Press reported.

Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harbouring members of the banned group Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Afghanistan denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Saturday night assault and said the country's army “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”

Qatar's Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalation and tension in the border area, and the potential repercussions for the security and stability of the region. It urged both sides to make “dialogue, diplomacy and restraint” their priorities.

A senior Pakistani security official said Afghan forces opened fire in several north-western border areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including the districts of Chitral, Bajaur, Mohmand, Angoor Adda and Kurram.

The official also said troops responded with heavy weaponry near Tirah in Khyber district and across the frontier in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

A second Pakistani security official said at least one person was killed and another wounded when a mortar shell fired from the Afghan side landed in Tiri village, Kurram district.

The two countries share a 2,611km border known as the Durand Line, but Afghanistan has not recognised it.