Two Taliban members were killed and three others wounded in a clash with Pakistani border forces in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, according to local sources.
The skirmish took place in the Goshta district, near the contentious Durand Line, the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Local Taliban officials, who confirmed the casualties to Amu TV, did not disclose any information on whether Pakistani forces suffered losses. According to the officials, the confrontation began late Saturday when Taliban fighters attempted to build a structure near the border, an action Pakistani troops reportedly opposed.
“Incidents like this happen frequently, mostly because of provocations from the Pakistani side,” a Taliban official in Nangarhar said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The Islamic Emirate [Taliban] wanted to establish a checkpoint, but Pakistan responded aggressively.”
Footage from the scene shows Taliban forces using heavy weaponry during the exchange.
The clash is part of a broader pattern of border tensions between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s neighbors, according to a recent report by Afghanistan’s Security Watch. The watchdog found that the Taliban have engaged in at least 45 border skirmishes in the past three years, with Pakistan being involved in nearly half of those incidents.
Of the 45 clashes, 20 were with Pakistani forces, 16 with Iranian forces, and more than 10 with troops from Central Asian nations. These confrontations have resulted in over 100 fatalities and at least 67 injuries, the report noted.
Tahir Khan, a journalist based in Pakistan, said Pakistani media claimed one Taliban fighter was killed in the latest clash. The fighting on the border, he added, has become increasingly common in provinces like Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nimroz, and Nangarhar.
The border tensions underscore the complex and often fraught relationship between the Taliban and its neighbors as Afghanistan’s new rulers seek to assert control in areas where sovereignty remains disputed.
