Pakistan reports five soldiers, 25 militants killed in border clashes with Afghanistan amid Istanbul talks

5 Pakistani soldiers killed in border clashes with militants during Afghanistan talks

Pakistan’s military reported on Sunday that five of its soldiers and 25 militants were killed in clashes near the Afghanistan border, even as officials from both countries met in Istanbul to ease rising tensions, Reuters reported.

The fighting occurred on Friday and Saturday in Kurram and North Waziristan districts along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier, with the military stating that militants crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan.

In a statement to Reuters, Pakistan’s military questioned the Afghan government’s stance on groups operating from its territory, saying it cast doubt on Kabul’s “intentions in regards to addressing the issue of terrorism emanating from its soil.”

Afghan officials have not responded to these claims. The Taliban government maintains it does not provide shelter to militants and has accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty through military strikes.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that a recent truce was still in place and expressed hope that Afghanistan wanted peace. "But failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean ‘open war’," he warned.

The clashes follow earlier confrontations this month, the most serious since the Taliban took power in 2021, which included artillery exchanges and Pakistani airstrikes. Those clashes ended in a temporary truce in Doha last week.

The Pakistani military described the infiltrating fighters as members of “Fitna al Khwarij,” a term it uses for groups inspired by militant ideology and allegedly backed by “foreign sponsors.” Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Taliban to act against groups using Afghan territory as a base, citing recent attacks on its soil.

Peace talks in Istanbul aim to establish mechanisms for maintaining stability agreed during the Doha discussions. The recent violence, which also affected civilians, was the worst along the border since the Taliban’s takeover. Earlier explosions in Kabul, attributed by the Taliban to Pakistan, triggered retaliatory strikes along the frontier.

Before these clashes, Pakistan had been a key supporter of the Taliban, providing strategic backing as a counterbalance to India.