58 Soldiers Dead, Border Posts Lost: Why Pakistan-Afghanistan Clashes Turned Deadly | World News

Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Conflicts: The mountains on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border echoed with intense gunfire throughout the night of October 11. Border posts were burned. Soldiers fell from both sides. By dawn, both governments were claiming victory and accusing the other of starting one of the deadliest cross-border wars in recent years.

The Taliban government in Kabul said its fighters killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in “retaliatory attacks” that began late Saturday. The Pakistani military confirmed 23 deaths but claimed to have destroyed 21 Afghan outposts and killed more than 200 Taliban and allied militants.

What triggered the conflict is still mired in accusations and denials, but the row has revealed just how deep the rift runs between two uneasy neighbours.

A War on the Old Line

The exchange began around 10 p.m. and spread to various points along the long and disputed border known as the Durand Line. Gunfire and explosions were reported in Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Bahram Chah in Balochistan.

“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is completely under control,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

He said Afghan forces captured 25 outposts belonging to the Pakistani army and 30 more soldiers were injured.

The Pakistani military called the attacks “cowardly acts aimed at destabilizing the border” and said it “resolutely repelled the attack.”

The Pakistan Army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), added: “Last night’s episode confirms Pakistan’s long-held view that the Taliban government is actively aiding terrorists.”

Afghan state media reported that the Taliban defense ministry deployed tanks and heavy weapons near the border in Kunar province. In Pakistan’s Kurram district, residents said they could still hear occasional gunshots the next day.

A Trigger in Kabul

Two days before the conflict began, Kabul and Potika province were shaken by deadly explosions. The Taliban blamed Pakistan for the explosions and described them as a “violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty”.

Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied this, but security officials told Reuters privately that the airstrikes targeted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud. It remains unclear whether Mehsud will survive.

Once Pakistan’s most wanted insurgent group, the TTP has regained power since the Afghan Taliban came to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing shelter to its fighters; Cain denies this.

Attacks on Pakistani soldiers have increased again since the overthrow of the Imran Khan government in 2022. More than 2,400 people were killed in militant violence in the first nine months of this year alone, a report by the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad said.

Words from Both Capitals

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the Taliban attack a “provocation” and praised the army’s “appropriate response”.

Interior Minister Muhsin Naqvi condemned the attacks as “unjustified fire” on civilians and said Afghanistan was “playing a game of fire and blood”.

Enayatullah Khowarazmi, spokesman for the Taliban government’s Defense Ministry, described the Taliban’s response as “retaliation” and warned of further action if “Afghanistan’s airspace is violated again.”

“The operation ended at midnight,” he said, adding, “Our forces are ready to defend every inch of Afghan territory.”

Increasing Unrest in the Region

The clashes led to calls for moderation from regional powers. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on both sides to avoid tensions, saying “stability between the two neighbors contributes to regional stability.”

Qatar and Saudi Arabia also called for dialogue and diplomacy, warning against “further tensions that threaten regional peace.”

India has remained silent so far. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is currently on his first official visit to New Delhi, where he received a red carpet welcome.
Analysts said the gesture “probably influenced Pakistan’s decision to show force at the border.”

Experts See a Fragile Pause

Analysts said both sides wanted to avoid a full-scale conflict. “When it comes to conventional warfare, Afghanistan does not have the capacity to challenge Pakistan. But guerrilla tactics are a different matter,” they said.

Kabul-based analyst Bahiss said both governments were under pressure domestically. “The purpose of the Afghan retaliation was to show the people that they could defend their sovereignty. Pakistan also needed to show strength after repeated attacks on its forces,” he said.

Security experts said diplomacy was the only way out. “If the Afghan Taliban does not take action against the TTP, Pakistan will continue to attack inside Afghanistan. But if Kabul takes action, it risks angering its own fighters. This is a dangerous trap,” they said.

They added that China, Russia and Saudi Arabia would prefer calm. “They don’t want another war zone along this border,” they thought.

For now, the guns are silent. But along the barren hills of the Durand Line, no one believes the silence will last.