Afghan Taliban Claims 58 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Clashes

Taliban: "Retaliation for Airspace Violations Over Kabul and Other Areas"

The Taliban regime, an Islamic militant group and the ruling power in Afghanistan, engaged in clashes after attacking Pakistani forces near the border.

According to Bloomberg News and other outlets on October 12, the Afghan government announced that Afghan forces had seized 25 Pakistani military outposts. In the process, 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 wounded. The Afghan side added that 20 of its own soldiers were also killed or injured.

Previously, Taliban forces opened fire on Pakistani security outposts along the border, and Pakistani security forces responded with rifle and artillery fire, resulting in fierce fighting. The clashes continued at six border locations, including Kunar, Nangarhar, and Paktia provinces in eastern Afghanistan, as well as Khost province in the southeast and Helmand province in the south.

The Taliban claimed that the attack was a retaliatory response to Pakistani forces violating Afghan airspace last week by targeting areas including the Afghan capital, Kabul. Enayat Khwarazmi, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, warned AFP, "If the other side (Pakistan) violates Afghan territory again, our forces will respond firmly once more."

Earlier, on October 9, two explosions were heard in Kabul and another occurred in the southeastern region. The following day, the Afghan Ministry of Defense claimed these incidents were attacks by Pakistan.

Pakistan reportedly conducted airstrikes targeting the leader of the separatist militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at that time. While Pakistan has not clarified its official position on the incident, it called on Afghanistan to "stop sheltering the TTP." The Sunni extremist militant group TTP has been accused of killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers in recent years.

Taliban Special Forces Members Yonhap News

Although TTP is different from the Afghan Taliban, the two groups share similar ideologies and have maintained a cooperative relationship for a long time. As a result, Pakistan has repeatedly criticized the Afghan Taliban regime for condoning militant activities near the border, while Afghanistan has denied these accusations, leading to ongoing tensions.

Except for the Kurram region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, most of the clashes in other areas have subsided. This appears to be due to requests from Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.