200 Afghan Taliban, 23 Pakistani soldiers killed in clashes; border closed

Dozens of fighters were killed in overnight border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, both sides said on Sunday, in the most serious fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban came to power in Kabul.

Twenty-three Pakistani troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and their affiliated terrorists were killed in border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces following an attack from the Afghan side, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Sunday.

The Taliban said nine on its side were killed.

TORKHAM, CHAMAN CROSSINGS CLOSED

Officials said Pakistan had closed crossings along the 2,600-km border with Afghanistan.

The two main border crossings with Afghanistan, at Torkham and Chaman, and at least three minor crossings, at Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Ghulam Khan, were closed on Sunday, local officials said.

Refugees along with their belongings await deportation to Afghanistan at a holding centre in Chaman on Sunday. AFP

The ISPR statement comes after overnight skirmishes between the two sides, which began on the night of Oct 11/12, 2025, after Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al-Khawarij launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border.

"During overnight skirmishes, twenty-three brave sons of Pakistan embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while defending the territorial integrity of our beloved country against this outrageous action, while 29 soldiers [were] injured. According to credible intelligence estimates and damage assessment, more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralised, while the number of injured is much higher,” the ISPR said.

Afghanistan claims it carried out the attack as a "retaliatory” measure, accusing Islamabad of conducting air strikes in its territory earlier this week. For its part, Islamabad has not confirmed whether it was behind the air strikes but maintains that Kabul should "stop harbouring the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan on its soil.”

Trucks stand parked at the Torkham border crossing, following exchanges of fire between the forces of the two countries. Reuters

In response to Islamabad’s repeated calls to bar terrorists from using its territory for cross-border attacks, Afghanistan denies the allegation of allowing terrorist outfits to use its soil.

Kabul said on Sunday that it had halted attacks at the request of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The two Arab Gulf nations had released statements of concern about the clashes. "There is no kind of threat in any part of Afghanistan's territory," the Taliban administration's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Sunday. "The Islamic Emirate and the people of Afghanistan will defend their land and remain resolute and committed in this defence." Mujahid said that fighting was ongoing in some areas.

But the ISPR statement said Afghanistan’s "cowardly action” of the overnight attack, which included fire and a few physical raids, was aimed at destabilising the border areas to "facilitate terrorism, furthering the nefarious designs of the terrorists.”

"Exercising the right of self-defence, the alert armed forces of Pakistan repelled the assault decisively all along the border and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban forces and affiliated khawarij,” the statement added.

"Precision fires and strikes, as well as physical raids, were directed against Taliban camps and posts, terrorist training facilities and support networks operating from [the] Afghan territory, including elements linked to Fitna Al-Khawarij, Fitna Al-Hindustan and ISKP/ Daesh. All possible measures were taken to avoid collateral damage and to protect civilian lives.”

The ISPR said that as a result of the unrelenting operations, multiple Taliban locations were destroyed along the border.

Providing further details, it said 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.

"The infra-structural damages to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters and support networks of terrorists are extensive, all along the border and range from tactical to operational depth.”

The ISPR further said that the armed forces of Pakistan remain ever ready to protect the territorial integrity, life and property of the people of Pakistan. Our resolve to defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity and to defeat those who threaten our security is unwavering.

It said that while the people of Pakistan preferred constructive diplomacy and dialogue over violence and belligerence, "we will not tolerate the treacherous use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.”

"We have noted with concern that this serious provocation has occurred during the visit of the [Afghan] Taliban foreign minister to India, the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the region. In the interest of regional peace and security, we call upon the Taliban government to take immediate and verifiable actions to neutralise the terrorist groups, inter alia, Fitna Al-Khawarij, Fitna-al-Hindustan and ISKP/ Daesh operating from their territory.”

Otherwise, the statement said, Pakistan will continue to exercise its right to defend its people by persistently neutralising terror targets. It said that the Taliban government should "shun any ill-begotten notions and prioritise well-being, peace, prosperity and development of the Afghan people over irresponsible sabre-rattling.”

"Last night’s episode vindicates Pakistan’s long-standing position that the Taliban government is actively facilitating the terrorists. If the Taliban government continues to sponsor terrorist outfits, in cohorts with India, for the shortsighted objective of destabilising the region, the people and the state of Pakistan will not rest until the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is completely eliminated.”

Earlier, state-run Pakistan Television (PTI) reported details of the Afghan posts targeted by the Pakistan Army.

In a series of posts on X, PTV News said Afghanistan’s Barikot base camp, Manojba Camp-3, Karzai post, and Shapola Khula Taliban post were also destroyed.

Radio Pakistan reported that security forces also occupied an "important” Afghan post in the Zhob sector and hoisted the Pakistani flag. "Humvee-armoured personnel carrier of the Afghan Taliban deployed at the post was destroyed as well in the attack,” the report said.