Pakistan says Afghan border clashes kill five soldiers
Five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants were killed in clashes near the Afghanistan border, the military said, as delegations from both countries met to ease tensions after the deadliest conflict in years.
The Pakistani army’s media wing said militants tried to cross into Afghanistan from the Kurram and North Waziristan regions, rugged areas on Pakistan’s northwestern border, on Friday and Saturday.
He said the infiltration attempts cast doubt on the government’s intentions in Afghanistan “in addressing the problem of terrorism emanating from its territory.”
The chief spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government and the defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported attacks.
The Taliban denies accusations that it provides shelter to militants and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty.
Officials from both countries are meeting in Istanbul to prevent a resumption of hostilities after clashes between their armies earlier this month – the worst border clash since the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021.
The conflict broke out after Pakistan demanded the Taliban rein in militants it said were operating in Afghan sanctuaries, leading to intense exchange of fire and Pakistani airstrikes.
Both sides reached a ceasefire in Doha last Sunday.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that the ceasefire remains in place and that he believes Afghanistan wants peace.
However, he warned that failure to reach an agreement in Türkiye would mean “open war”.
The Pakistani military on Friday and Saturday described the attackers by the term “Fitna al-Harij”, which it uses for groups inspired by militant ideology and supported by “foreign sponsors”.
US President Donald Trump told the ASEAN summit on Sunday that he would resolve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis “very quickly.”
“I hear Pakistan and Afghanistan are taking action,” Trump said on the sidelines of the meeting in Malaysia.
“But I’ll figure this out real quick.”
He made the comments while attending the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, adding that the leaders of Pakistan were “great people”.
with AP
