Afghan-Pak forces clash along Durand Line: These are the 29 hotspots

This surge in cross-border hostilities marks one of the deadliest escalations along the Durand Line in recent years (File photo//AFP)

Heavy clashes broke out along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Saturday, with fighting reported at over 29 locations along the Durand Line.

Major flashpoints included Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces, as well as Pakistan’s Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral, and Angoor Adda regions. Afghan districts such as Aryub Zazi in Paktia and areas of Bahramcha also witnessed intense firefights.

According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, Taliban-led forces attacked multiple Pakistani Army outposts, destroying facilities and equipment in Kunar and Helmand provinces.

According to TOLOnews, at least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several others injured. The clashes come days after reports of a Pakistani airstrike near Kabul, which prompted retaliatory attacks by Taliban forces on Pakistani positions in Nangarhar and Kunar.

The Durand Line, the 2,600-kilometer border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, was drawn in 1893 by British India and Afghan ruler Abdur Rahman Khan. Though meant to separate British-controlled India from Afghanistan, the line split the Pashtun ethnic group, dividing their communities and disrupting their culture. Afghanistan has never fully recognised the border, arguing it was imposed under duress.

During British colonial rule, Afghanistan maintained independence but ceded control over its foreign policy. Following India’s 1947 partition, the Durand Line became the internationally recognised border with Pakistan.

Nevertheless, tensions persisted. Conflicts along the border intensified during the Cold War, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and later the post-9/11 War on Terror.

The Durand Line remains contentious even today. Pakistan has built a fence, citing security concerns, while border restrictions and violence continue to affect Pashtun communities.

The latest escalation, it should be noted, coincides with heightened diplomatic tensions, after Islamabad raised objections over references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint India-Afghanistan statement issued during Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit this week.

The violence has spread across Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Helmand, and Nangarhar provinces, with intense firefights reported in districts including Aryub Zazi, Spina Shaga, Giwi, and Mani Jabha. Taliban officials have claimed control of two Pakistani border posts in Helmand, as per local authorities.

This surge in cross-border hostilities marks one of the deadliest escalations along the Durand Line in recent years, with exchanges of gunfire continuing late into Saturday night as both sides bolster their positions.