Taliban claimed Sunday that 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed overnight in border clashes and said 11 Pakistani border posts were destroyed.
In a statement, the Taliban’s 201st Khalid bin Walid Army Corps in eastern Afghanistan said they also retrieved the bodies of two Pakistani soldiers and captured several weapons.
Pakistani authorities have not yet responded to the Taliban’s claims.
Taliban said the attacks were carried out based on “precise intelligence” in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes that recently targeted areas in Kabul and Paktia provinces.
Earlier, the Taliban’s Defense Ministry said they launched a “successful retaliatory operation,” targeting multiple Pakistani military outposts along the border. The operation reportedly ended around midnight on Sunday, Oct. 12.
In response, Pakistan’s military announced it had struck 20 Taliban positions along the border and claimed several Taliban fighters surrendered in the Khurram region. Neither side has released confirmed casualty figures.
Following the clashes, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X that they would hold a “major press conference” at 11 a.m. Sunday.
The escalation comes days after Pakistani fighter jets reportedly bombed parts of Kabul and Paktia on Thursday night, Oct. 9. Pakistani media claimed the strikes aimed to kill Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud.
Neither the Taliban nor Pakistani officials have confirmed the target of those airstrikes.
