Pakistan said at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel were killed in Thursday’s border clash. Kabul denied its forces suffered casualties and said they destroyed a Pakistani post. AP could not independently verify casualty claims; the border was calm Friday.
The clash followed Pakistani airstrikes the previous day on 10 sites in Afghanistan, which Islamabad described as storage and launch facilities for drones used in attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan’s spokesperson said the strikes hit Kandahar, Paktia and Khost and killed four civilians. Pakistan’s information minister said the strikes followed eight drones launched from Afghanistan, shelling of Pakistani border posts and a thwarted militant infiltration attempt.
Pakistan also said Monday’s fighter-jet strikes in eastern Afghanistan killed 28 militants; Afghan authorities reported three civilian deaths, a toll confirmed by the United Nations. The renewed hostilities threaten mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Islamabad routinely accuses Kabul of allowing the Pakistani Taliban (TTP)—separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban—to operate from Afghan territory; Kabul denies the accusation.
