Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan battling at the border? What does it mean for India?

Just as it looked like the fighting between Israel and Hamas was abating, a new conflict erupted — this time, between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the weekend.

Both, Afghanistan and Pakistani troops, have exchanged deadly fire at multiple locations along the 2,600-kilometre Durand Line, with both sides claiming to have captured and destroyed border posts in one of the worst border clashes in recent years.

So, what’s the latest on the fighting? What triggered the clashes? Is the situation expected to escalate further? And what does all of this mean for India, who is currently hosting Afghan’s foreign minister?

Clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan

The new fighting began on Saturday about 10 pm local time when Afghanistan’s Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border in what it called “retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” on Thursday.

Islamabad did not directly claim responsibility for the strikes, but has repeatedly stated the right to defend itself against surging militancy that it says is planned from Afghan soil.

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Exchange of fire occurred at multiple locations with Pakistani officials and state-run radio noting that that those locations included Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir and Chitral — all in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — and Bahram Chah in Balochistan.

On Sunday, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesman, said that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in the clashes, while nine Taliban forces were killed. However, Pakistan shared different figures; it stated that 23 of its soldiers had been killed while more than 200 Taliban and affiliated troops had been gunned down.

The Pakistani military also claimed multiple Taliban locations were destroyed along the border and “21 hostile positions on the Afghan side of the border were also briefly physically captured and multiple terrorist training camps used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan were rendered inoperative.”

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“Last night’s episode vindicates Pakistan’s long-standing position that the Taliban government is actively facilitating the terrorists,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan military’s media wing.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the violence perpetrated by the Taliban and commended the troops. “Under the bold leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistan army not only gave a firm and fitting response to Afghanistan’s aggression but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing retreat. There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence. Every act of aggression will be met with a strong and effective response,” he said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is in India at the moment, said on Sunday the “situation is under control”. “Our operation last night achieved its objectives. And then our friends like Qatar and Saudi Arabia appealed that war must stop now, and the war is ceased right now,” he said.

According to officials, there’s a strained peace at the Pakistan-Afghan border with no further clashes been reported since Sunday morning. Key border crossings between the countries have been closed on Sunday, officials said. Also, extra troops have been sent to the major border crossing at Torkham, which sits on the frontier between Kabul and Islamabad.

Trigger for these Afghan-Pak clashes

But what is the cause for this violent confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

The immediate cause for the violence is owing to strikes carried out by Pakistan in Afghanistan on Thursday. Kabul was rocked by the sound of two explosions, and another took place in a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday.

The Taliban government accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s “sovereign territory”. A Pakistani security official told Reuters that the air strikes were carried out and their intended target in Kabul was the leader of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Taliban, who was travelling in a vehicle.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of harbouring Pakistani terrorists, namely the TTP, who stage attacks from Afghan soil. The TTP has been behind some of the deadliest attacks on Pakistani soil, including the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, in which 132 schoolchildren between the ages of eight and 18, and nine school staff, were massacred.

In order to rein them in, Pakistan has been carrying out strikes on what they call the launch pads of the TTP.

The flare-up is also owing to years of mistrust and recurring skirmishes along the 2,611-km Durand Line, a border Afghanistan has never formally recognised.

There’s also Pakistan’s deportation of Afghan refugees that has caused more tensions between the two nations.

What next after Pak-Afghan clashes

The flare-up in violence between Pakistan and Afghanistan has prompted concern in the region. Many other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran have called for restraint.

Special attention is on Saudi Arabia, who recently signed a Nato-like pact with Pakistan, which says that an attack on one nation will be considered as an attack on both countries. However, it seems that this pact hasn’t been implemented for now.

The Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The kingdom calls for restraint, avoiding escalation, and embracing dialogue and wisdom to contribute to reducing tensions and maintaining security and stability in the region.”

“The kingdom affirms its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability and its continued commitment to ensuring security, which will achieve stability and prosperity for the brotherly Pakistani and Afghan peoples,” it added.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, on a high after facilitating the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, seems to have turned his attention to the issue. Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, as he made his way to Israel, he said: “And I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars.”

Implications for India

The timing of the clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan is significant. It comes while the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is in India for an extended visit. According to Ibraheem Bahiss, a Kabul-based senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, said Muttaqi’s red-carpet welcome in India was “probably a factor in the ultimate decision by the Pakistan army to escalate in the major way that we saw”.

Most notably, India earlier said it will re-establish its embassy in Kabul, a change since 2021 when American troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan, and the Taliban quickly seized power in most of the country.

In a statement, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also flagged terrorism as a common threat. “We have a common commitment towards growth and prosperity. However, these are endangered by the shared threat of cross-border terrorism that both our nations face. We must coordinate efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We appreciate your sensitivity towards India’s security concerns. Your solidarity with us in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy.”

A joint statement issued after the meeting said: “Both sides unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism emanating from regional countries. They underscored the importance of promoting peace, stability and mutual trust in the region.”

This resulted in Pakistan seeing red, with The Hindu reporting that Islamabad had summoned the Afghan ambassador to convey its “strong reservations” over the India-Afghanistan joint statement. The report added that Islamabad also rejected Muttaqi’s assertion that terrorism is an internal issue of Pakistan.

Most experts note that there’s no hope of Pakistan-Afghanistan ties normalising anytime soon, but the chances of this clash spilling over to something bigger and more serious are minimal.

With inputs from agencies