Kabul: In another cross-border clash between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan Army along the Durand Line, the latest skirmish between the two forces has resulted in casualties on both sides. The several-hour-long confrontation has reportedly resulted in the deaths of 19 Pakistani soldiers, and three Afghan civilians.
According to Tolo News, citing the Ministry of Defense of the Taliban, the fighting took place on Friday night in the provinces of Khost and Paktia. The clashes started in the middle of the night in the Dand Patan district of Paktia and the Ali Shir district of Khost, and ended in the morning.
While Al-Marsad, the media wing of Taliban’s intelligence confirmed the incident, an official confirmation of the clash is yet to come from either side.
The media outlet reported that Taliban forces launched attacks from the Dand Patan district of Paktia towards the Dubbghi area across the border and from the Ali Shir district of Khost towards the significant Ozgari regions across the Durand Line.
Radio Hurriyat, another media outlet close to the Taliban, also reported that the border clashes between the Taliban forces and Pakistan’s border guards are ongoing near the Durand Line. Hurriyat, citing its sources, claimed that Taliban forces “set fire to several of Pakistan’s border posts” on the other side of the Durand Line.
Additionally, it was reported that Taliban forces had “captured two Pakistani border posts” in the Dand Patan district of Paktia. The attacks took place after Pakistan launched airstrikes on villages in the Bermal district of Paktika province earlier this week, killing numerous civilians.
Kabul and Islamabad have both confirmed the Bermal incident, with the Taliban condemning the attack. Noorullah Noori, the Taliban’s administration’s Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, during his visit to the area and meeting up with the families of the victims, said that this attack will not go unanswered.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Foreign Minister, referring to the attacks also said that Afghans do not forget aggression on their soil, and asked Islamabad to maintain a measured policy against Afghanistan.
UNI
