Afghanistan Claims 30 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Clashes Along Durand Line

Kabul- Afghan authorities have claimed that Taliban forces killed 30 Pakistani soldiers during clashes along the Durand Line, according to local media reports on Friday citing a defence ministry spokesperson.

Taliban defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said the fighting occurred in the Shorabak district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, where Taliban fighters allegedly seized a Pakistani military outpost, reported Khaama Press.

He said the outpost was later destroyed using explosives after Taliban fighters captured it during the confrontation.

Khwarazmi claimed that 30 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the clashes, including 20 troops who had been sent as reinforcements to the outpost. He also stated that Taliban fighters captured five Pakistani military positions in the Dand Patan area of Paktia province and entered posts located in Top Sar Khwuch Karam and Anzerki Sar, according to Khaama Press.

However, Pakistani authorities have not issued any statement confirming the Taliban’s claims regarding casualties among their troops.

The latest confrontation highlights growing instability along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, where repeated clashes and competing claims of casualties continue to strain relations between the two neighbours.

On March 3, Afghan officials said their forces had carried out retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military bases following recent air raids by the Pakistan Air Force inside Afghan territory.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said the strikes targeted several locations near the border, including areas connected to Kabul, the Ali-Sher district in Khost, Jalalabad, and Kandahar.

According to Afghan officials, their forces also captured several Pakistani military posts in Kandahar province, particularly in the Spin Boldak and Shorabak districts.

Reports by TOLO News said three posts were seized in Spin Boldak, where three Pakistani soldiers were reportedly killed and one serviceman captured. Two additional Pakistani posts were also taken over in the Ali-Sher district.

The current escalation began when Taliban-led Afghan forces launched retaliatory operations against Pakistani military installations on February 27, following Pakistan’s earlier strikes against militants inside Afghanistan on February 21.

After Afghanistan’s attacks, Pakistan launched an operation named “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq” (Righteous Fury), describing it as a response to what it termed “unprovoked firing” by Afghan forces across multiple border sectors.

With inputs from IANS