The Taliban administration has claimed a major security success in eastern Afghanistan, announcing that its forces killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 others after what it described as a cross-border infiltration from Pakistan into Nuristan province.

According to Afghanistan’s defence ministry, the group included Daesh (ISIS) militants and entered Afghan territory with the intention of carrying out attacks.

The operation reportedly unfolded in Kamdesh district, a remote mountainous area close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Afghan officials stated that the infiltrators crossed into the district on Saturday and were subsequently engaged by Taliban security forces in a military operation.

Afghanistan’s defence ministry said the fighting resulted in the deaths of 28 militants, while 32 others were wounded. The ministry added that surviving members of the group retreated across the border after coming under sustained attack from Taliban forces.

In a significant escalation of rhetoric, the Taliban government directly accused Pakistan of facilitating the infiltration. Afghan officials alleged that Pakistani military-backed elements assisted the armed group in crossing into Afghanistan, describing the incident as evidence of state-backed involvement in hostile activity on Afghan soil.

The accusations come amid rapidly deteriorating relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Less than a week earlier, Pakistan conducted air strikes inside Afghanistan on 21 September, claiming it had targeted militant positions.

Those strikes further heightened tensions between the neighbouring countries, which have frequently traded accusations over cross-border militancy.

Afghan authorities maintain that the Nuristan operation was launched in response to an attempted militant incursion designed to destabilise the region. The ministry said Taliban forces acted quickly after detecting the group’s presence, forcing the fighters to abandon their mission and withdraw.

The latest incident highlights the increasingly fragile security environment along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier. Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of allowing militant groups to operate from their respective territories, with border clashes and allegations of cross-border support becoming more frequent in recent months.

Pakistan had not responded to the Taliban’s statement at the time the claim was made. However, the allegations represent one of Kabul’s strongest accusations yet regarding alleged Pakistani involvement in armed activities inside Afghanistan.

The confrontation in Nuristan underscores the widening trust deficit between the two neighbours and raises concerns that continued military incidents and mutual accusations could further destabilise an already volatile border region.

Agencies