The recent clashes along the Durand Line between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani troops have led to significant casualties. The Taliban announced that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed during fierce fighting in the border region, marking this as one of the deadliest confrontations in recent times along this disputed boundary.​​

The conflict escalated after Pakistan reportedly carried out missile strikes on Taliban positions in Kabul, Khost, Nangarhar, and other provinces. The Taliban’s retaliatory attacks spanned across eight Pakistani regions, involving heavy firing, mortars, drones, and targeting Pakistani military and militia outposts.​​

Pakistan's military claimed to have killed over 200 Afghan Taliban and associated fighters, while Pakistan acknowledged the loss of 23 soldiers in the clashes. The Taliban, however, maintained that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Both sides have accused each other of inflicting heavy losses, but independent verification of figures has not been possible so far.​

There are reports that a large numbers of Pakistan Army uniforms have been found scattered along the Afghan–Pakistan border, indicating that several Pakistan Army soldiers discarded their uniforms and fled for their lives in civilian clothes amid the intense clashes.

Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid warned that Afghan forces are fully prepared to defend their borders and will not leave any attack unanswered. He instructed the Taliban’s Islamic Army to remain on high alert and issued a stern warning that future Pakistani "transgressions" would be met with even stronger responses.​

These hostilities come amid already heightened tensions after Pakistan’s airstrikes inside Afghanistan’s territory, which Kabul condemned. The border clashes along the 2,640 km Durand Line have raised fears of continued escalation between the two neighbours, complicating regional security dynamics.​​

The border conflict has resulted in dozens of Pakistani soldiers killed according to the Taliban, with Pakistan reporting substantial Taliban casualties. Both sides remain entrenched and ready for further confrontations along the Durand Line.​

Agencies