Pakistan army claims 23 of its troops, 200+ Taliban fighters killed in Afghan border clashes

Pakistan’s military said on Sunday (October 12) that 23 of its soldiers and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated fighters were killed in overnight clashes along the border with Afghanistan, following tensions after Pakistan carried out strikes deep inside Afghan territory.

“Precision fire and strikes, as well as physical raids, were directed against Taliban camps and posts (and) terrorist training facilities,” the military said in a statement.

The statement added that 23 Pakistani troops were killed and 29 wounded, while “more than…200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized.”

Afghanistan’s Taliban forces said they attacked Pakistani troops late on Saturday, calling it “ retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” on Thursday.

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Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded, while nine Taliban fighters were killed.

The Afghan Defence Ministry said its forces conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the frontier late Saturday in response to what it called continued Pakistani aggression. It warned that any future violations of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity would meet a “strong response.”

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State-run broadcaster RTA reported that the operation captured three Pakistani military posts, killing 15 soldiers in an area bordering southern Helmand province.

Earlier this week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing Kabul and a market in eastern Afghanistan, though Islamabad did not claim responsibility. Afghan state media also reported that more than a dozen Pakistani soldiers had been killed, but there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.

The Torkham border crossing, a key trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan, remained closed on Sunday morning following the clashes.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the overnight attack, saying the army “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”