Afghanistan claims 58 Pakistani soldiers killed in clashes; border closed

Pakistan closed all major border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday after intense overnight clashes between the two sides, in which the Taliban-led Afghan government claimed to have killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers.

According to officials in Kabul, Afghan forces launched strikes late Saturday on several Pakistani border posts in retaliation for what they described as repeated Pakistani air attacks inside Afghan territory earlier in the week. The Afghan Ministry of Defence said its forces carried out a “successful operation” targeting Pakistani positions along the frontier.
In a statement, the ministry claimed that 58 Pakistani troops were killed and several others wounded, though it did not provide independent verification or evidence for the figures. It also confirmed that around 20 Afghan soldiers were killed or injured in the exchange.
Islamabad has not confirmed the Afghan casualty figures but acknowledged that its forces responded “effectively” to cross-border fire. Pakistani security sources told local media that “significant losses” were inflicted on Afghan forces, though no official numbers were released.
Both sides accused each other of destroying multiple border outposts. Pakistani military sources shared video footage purportedly showing Afghan positions being struck by artillery fire, while Afghan state media claimed their forces had targeted and “neutralized” several Pakistani strongholds.
Officials in Pakistan’s Kurram tribal district, one of the flashpoints along the frontier, said sporadic gunfire continued into Sunday morning despite claims from Kabul that hostilities had ceased by midnight local time. Residents reported hearing shelling and seeing plumes of smoke rising near the border villages.
The Afghan Ministry of Defence later announced that it had halted operations “at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” both of which expressed concern over the escalating situation. The two Gulf states, along with Iran, have called for restraint and dialogue to prevent a wider conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

“There is no threat in any part of Afghanistan’s territory,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday. “The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land with full determination and will not allow any aggression to go unanswered.”
The border skirmishes are the latest in a series of confrontations between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing safe haven to fighters from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a banned militant group that has carried out dozens of deadly attacks inside Pakistan.
The Taliban government has consistently denied harbouring TTP militants, insisting that Afghan soil “will not be used against any country.”
Analysts warn that the closure of key border crossings — including Torkham and Spin Boldak, vital arteries for trade and humanitarian supplies — could have serious economic repercussions for both nations, particularly Afghanistan, which relies heavily on cross-border commerce for essential goods.