15 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in retaliation by Taliban forces in response to Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan. This incident happened near the Durand Line in Helmand province, after which the tension on the border between the two countries has increased significantly.
Taliban’s retaliation
Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesman for the Helmand provincial government, confirmed that 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliation by Afghan forces near the Durand Line in Baharampur district on Thursday night. He also said that during this operation, Afghan forces captured three Pakistani military posts and seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition.
Retaliating following Pakistan’s airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika provinces, Afghan forces have started targeting Pakistani posts in several provinces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, namely Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar and Kunar.
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Air strikes and violation of sovereignty
On Thursday, three explosions occurred in Kabul and south-eastern Paktika, Afghanistan. The Taliban-run Defense Ministry accused Islamabad of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty for the attacks. “In response to air strikes on Kabul by the Pakistani military, Taliban forces are engaged in fierce clashes with Pakistani security forces in various areas along the border,” the Afghan army said in a statement.
Defense Ministry spokesman Inayat Khovarazem said the ‘successful’ counter-operation ended at midnight and warned, ‘If the opposing side violates Afghanistan’s border again, our armed forces are ready to defend their territory and will respond firmly.’
Although Islamabad did not officially confirm that it was behind Thursday’s attacks, it reiterated its demand for Kabul to ‘stop harboring the Pakistani Taliban on its soil.’
Controversy over Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
The main cause of tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ideological ally of the Afghan Taliban.
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Pakistan’s allegation
Islamabad has accused the TTP of killing hundreds of its soldiers since 2021 and said Afghanistan has failed to expel TTP militants who are using Afghan territory to carry out attacks on Pakistan.
border conflict
A senior official in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, confirmed that Taliban forces had started using weapons, in response to which Pakistani forces opened heavy fire at four places along the border and shot down three Afghan quadcopters suspected to be carrying explosives.
TTP activities
According to an AFP report, TTP militants have in recent months intensified their violent campaign against Pakistani security forces in the mountainous areas bordering Afghanistan. On Saturday, the TTP claimed responsibility for deadly attacks in northwest Pakistan that killed 20 security officers and three civilians.
Pakistan’s strict warning
Earlier this year, a UN report said the TTP receives ‘substantial logistics and operational support from the de facto authorities,’ an apparent reference to the Taliban government in Kabul.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the National Assembly last week that efforts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting TTP have failed. “We will not tolerate this anymore,” he warned. United, we have to answer those who are providing help to them, whether their bases are on our soil or on the soil of Afghanistan.