Afghanistan claims 55 Pakistani soldiers killed, 19 posts seized; Islamabad says 133 Taliban fighters dead

Taliban security personnel keep watch near the Durand Line in Gurbuz district of Khost province on February 27, 2026 following overnight cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (Photo by AFP)

Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has taken a dramatic turn, with both sides reporting heavy casualties and territorial gains along the disputed Durand Line. The Taliban government has claimed it captured 19 Pakistani military outposts and killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, while Islamabad insists it has killed 133 Taliban fighters in the latest round of clashes.

According to a statement by Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, their forces seized 19 Pakistani posts after Pakistani forces initiated fresh strikes across the border. Afghan officials also said that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the confrontations. The claims come amid one of the most intense escalations between the neighbours in years, and reflect a sharp setback for Pakistan’s military strategy.

Pakistan’s counter-narrative paints a very different picture. Islamabad’s military claims that its air and ground operations resulted in the deaths of 133 Taliban fighters and inflicted significant damage on insurgent positions. Pakistani authorities also said they destroyed 27 Taliban posts and captured nine during the fighting.

The conflicting casualty figures underscore not just the scale of the conflict but also the propaganda battle that has accompanied it. Analysts note that Pakistan’s attempts to control the narrative are increasingly at odds with battlefield events, as Taliban forces maintain they have made tangible territorial gains.

The latest escalation followed a sequence of Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory earlier in the week, which Islamabad justified as part of operations against militant groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and allied fighters. Afghanistan condemned the strikes as violations of its sovereignty and warned that retaliatory operations were underway.

The state-run Bakhtar News Agency shared images of what it described as a battalion of suicide attackers equipped with explosive vests and car bombs, prepared to strike critical targets, indicating that Kabul’s response is not limited to defensive engagements.

Adding to the tension, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declared “open war” against Afghanistan on X, saying, “Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan).” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that Pakistani forces would “crush aggressive ambitions.”

Security sources cited by CNN-News18 reported ongoing heavy gunfire along multiple points of the border. In some sectors, local residents were said to be participating in Pakistani operations, indicating how deeply the conflict has mobilised communities.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Defence slammed Pakistan’s strikes as a breach of international law and accused Islamabad of failing to target genuine militant sanctuaries. “Attacks on civilian targets and religious centres are clear evidence of the Pakistani army’s intelligence and security failures,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan asserts it has conclusive evidence linking militants to Afghan soil and insists its cross-border actions are necessary for its national security, even as the crisis threatens to spiral into a wider war in South Asia.