ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani border soldier was killed and 11 others were injured on Saturday morning in a series of attacks on border posts by the Taliban in the Upper Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani media reported.
According to Dawn news, Taliban fighters targeted posts in Ghozgarhi, Matha Sangar, Kot Ragha, and Tari Mengal areas, employing both light and heavy weaponry. Pakistani forces reportedly responded to the assault, and between seven and eight Taliban fighters were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire.
“After the infiltration attempt failed, militants and Afghan forces jointly opened fire on Pakistani posts with heavy weapons,” an unnamed source told Dawn. “The firing was effectively responded to, and there are confirmed reports of heavy losses on the Afghan side, with over 15 militants dead and many others wounded.”
The source added that the Taliban abandoned their positions and withdrew after the confrontation.
The clashes come amid escalating tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. On Saturday, the Taliban stated that they had targeted the hideouts of “malicious elements” in retaliation for a Pakistani airstrike earlier in the week on the Barmal district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
A Taliban spokesman claimed that the airstrike killed 46 people, including women and children. However, Pakistani media reported that the operation targeted members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), killing 70 militants.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring and supporting the TTP, a claim the Taliban deny. The TTP, which has intensified attacks in Pakistan since ending a cease-fire in November 2022, has become a significant source of friction between the two neighbors.
On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the cross-border attacks, calling them “unacceptable” and underscoring the need for Afghanistan to take decisive action against militants operating from its territory.
