Fresh clashes broke out on Tuesday between Pakistani and Afghan forces in a remote border area of northwestern Pakistan, with state-run Pakistani media accusing Afghan troops of launching “unprovoked fire” that was successfully repelled.
According to Pakistan TV and two security officials, as quoted by AP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Pakistani forces retaliated, damaging Afghan tanks and military outposts.
Tahir Ahrar, a deputy police spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Khost province, confirmed the exchange of fire but did not share further details, the news agency reported.
This marks the second exchange of fire between the two sides this week along their shared border.
Pakistan’s state-run media claimed that Afghan forces, alongside Pakistani Taliban fighters, attacked a Pakistani post “without provocation,” prompting a “strong response” from Pakistani troops in Kurram district, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Security sources told AP that Pakistan’s military also destroyed a major training camp belonging to the Pakistani Taliban.
There has been no official comment from Pakistan’s military, which has remained on high alert since Saturday, when both countries exchanged fire across several border points, resulting in dozens of casualties on each side.
Over the weekend, Afghan authorities said they struck several Pakistani military posts, killing 58 soldiers in response to what they described as repeated violations of Afghan airspace and territory. Pakistan’s military, however, reported lower losses—23 soldiers killed—while claiming to have eliminated over 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” in return fire.
Tensions have persisted since last week, when the Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes in Kabul and an eastern marketplace—allegations Pakistan has not acknowledged.
Pakistan has previously conducted strikes inside Afghanistan, asserting that it targets hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group distinct from but allied with the Afghan Taliban.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering the TTP, which has carried out multiple deadly attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan government denies this, maintaining that it does not allow its territory to be used for aggression against other countries.
