At least 18 Pakistani soldiers killed as clashes intensify along Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The latest escalation in cross-border hostilities marks one of the deadliest escalations along the Durand Line in recent years

Heavy clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Saturday night after an attack by the Taliban on Pakistani military posts. The escalation comes after a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul this week, according to security officials from both nations. Media reports say at least 18 Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives in the ongoing confrontation.

Taliban forces launched armed reprisals against Pakistani troops, alleging that Islamabad had conducted airstrikes on Afghan territory, according to senior Taliban officials from various provinces. They claimed to have seized two Pakistani border posts in the southern province of Helmand, which was confirmed by local authorities.

The clashes comes days after Islamabad conveyed its reservations to Afghanistan's Ambassador in Islamabad over "elements of the India-Afghanistan joint statement." Islamabad expressed objections to the mention of Jammu and Kashmir in the statement issued during Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit.

"It was conveyed that the reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir. The Joint Statement is highly insensitive to the sacrifices and sentiments of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination," the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.

Islamabad also rejected the remarks made by Muttaqi that terrorism is an internal problem of Pakistan. "Pakistan has repeatedly shared details regarding the presence of Fitna-e-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorist elements operating from Afghan soil against Pakistan with support from elements within Afghanistan," the statement read, adding that the interim Afghan government can't absolve its obligations towards ensuring peace while deflecting the responsibility of controlling terrorism towards Pakistan.

Pakistani security officials acknowledged clashes at several border locations, stating they were responding forcefully. “Tonight, Taliban forces began firing at several border points. We retaliated with artillery at four locations along the border,” a Pakistani government official told a major publication.

Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harboring members of the banned group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Afghanistan denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned Afghanistan for the Saturday night gunfire, warning it would be given a “befitting reply like India,” a reference to a crisis earlier this year that saw the two nuclear-armed rivals step closer to war.