Afghanistan says 55 civilians killed in border clashes with Pakistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban administration says at least 55 civilians have been killed in days of intense border clashes with Pakistan, marking one of the deadliest flare-ups between the two neighbours in recent years.
Government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said the casualties, reported since Thursday, include women and children. He added that 69 others were wounded and at least a dozen homes were destroyed in the fighting. The deaths were recorded across several eastern and southern provinces, including Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar and Kandahar.
Pakistan has rejected allegations that civilians were deliberately targeted, insisting its actions were carried out in self-defence. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani operations had killed 415 Afghan Taliban fighters and suspected militants and wounded more than 580 others since the latest escalation began.
Kabul, however, claims that 56 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clashes. Based on figures released by both sides, at least 81 people have died so far, including soldiers and civilians. Independent verification of the casualty toll has not been possible.
The renewed violence follows Pakistani airstrikes in late February that Islamabad said targeted militant hideouts. Afghan officials and UN sources reported civilian casualties from those strikes, a claim Pakistan denies. In response, Kabul launched what it described as retaliatory operations along the disputed frontier.
Separately, Pakistani state media reported that security forces thwarted an infiltration attempt in the Qila Saifullah sector, killing several suspected militants.
Relations between the two countries have sharply deteriorated, with Pakistan accusing armed groups of operating from Afghan territory—an allegation the Taliban leadership rejects—raising concerns of a prolonged and destabilising conflict along the border.
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