Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes leave soldiers dead

At least eight Afghan soldiers and two Pakistani soldiers were killed Thursday after Kabul launched what it called a “retaliatory operation” across the border, according to officials from the two neighboring nations.

Afghan government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said the “four-hour battle” was halted at midnight local time (1930GMT Thursday).

He said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and also claimed that “55 Pakistani soldiers were killed” during the border clashes, according to a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two of their soldiers lost their lives during the clashes, while another Pakistani official claimed that “72 Afghan Taliban combatants have been terminated.”

Mosharraf Zaidi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's spokesperson for foreign media, said “more than 120” Afghans were also injured and claimed that 16 Afghan military posts were destroyed and seven were captured, according to a statement on X.

The fresh clashes erupted after Kabul announced that it had launched border strikes in response to airstrikes Sunday by Pakistan, which left many dead.

In response, Pakistani security sources said in a statement to Anadolu that their forces launched "effective airstrikes in response to unprovoked Afghan aggression."

Airstrikes were carried out in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia and Nangahar provinces, they said.

Anadolu could not independently confirm reports of casualties on either side of the border.

- Civilian killed

A health official at a local hospital in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan told Anadolu that one civilian was killed while five others were injured in border shelling.

Fitrat said earlier that "in response to the continued aggressions of Pakistan’s military regime, extensive retaliatory offensive operations have commenced against Pakistani military centers and installations along the Durand Line.”

In Islamabad, Pakistan's Information Ministry said Kabul had launched military operations, labeling them as "unprovoked action," which was met with an "immediate and effective" response.

Zaidi said that “further counter-attacks are going to take place in keeping with Pakistan’s resolve to be immediate and effective in response to any aggression.”

The latest border clashes come after Pakistan said it carried out airstrikes last week in Afghanistan, killing 70 “terrorists.”

Afghan officials said dozens of civilians were killed and vowed retaliation.

The UN mission in Kabul said 17 civilians were killed in the airstrikes.

- Pakistan denies attacking civilians

Earlier Thursday, Pakistan denied that any civilians were killed in Sunday's strikes on Afghanistan and only “terrorist” hideouts were targeted.

“We exercised utmost caution to prevent any harm to civilians,” said Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi.

Responding to a question on Qatar's possible role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Andrabi said that during Prime Minister Sharif's visit to Doha early this week, “regional issues were discussed, including possibly Afghanistan.”

“This is what I can confirm at this stage,” he told reporters.

Soon after the border clashes, Pakistan's Foreign Office reported a phone call between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Qatar's Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi.

Whether the two officials discussed the latest border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains unclear.

There was no immediate statement from Doha about the phone call.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in terrorist incidents in recent months, much of it attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and banned Baloch separatist groups.

Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban of operating from Afghanistan, a charge the government in Kabul has repeatedly denied.