Afghanistan Pakistan border clashes intensify after Kabul reports retaliatory strikes along Durand Line

Afghan military authorities say they began strikes against Pakistan in response to recent Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan. Kabul said operations targeted Pakistani bases and installations along the Durand Line, a border Afghanistan does not formally recognise. Pakistani officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported responding to artillery fire from Afghan positions, with no immediate casualty details.

Afghan military authorities said on Thursday that Afghan forces began strikes against Pakistan. The action followed Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s border areas several days earlier. Afghan officials said clashes started on Thursday night, and described the operations as retaliation for the earlier attacks.

Pakistan did not issue an immediate response through the military. There was also no immediate information on casualties from either side. However, Pakistani local authorities and two senior security officials said forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were replying to fire from across the frontier.

Durand Line border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 2,611-kilometre border known as the Durand Line. Afghanistan has not formally recognised this border. Pakistani officials said the exchange of fire began in the Khyber district. The firing later spread to at least four other districts near the border.

Pakistani local authorities and two senior security officials described the Afghan fire as unprovoked. They said Pakistani troops targeted Afghan positions from where artillery rounds were launched. The officials linked the action to forces deployed along the Afghan border in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Afghanistan-Pakistan military strikes and X statement by Zabihullah Mujahid

A statement from the media office of Afghanistan’s military corps in the east said heavy clashes began on Thursday night. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that action had started along the border. "In response to the repeated rebellions and insurrections of the Pakistani military, large-scale offensive operations were launched against Pakistani military bases and military installations along the Durand Line,\" Mujahid said.

Pakistan airstrikes in Afghanistan and disputed casualty claims

On Sunday, Pakistan’s military said it carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan said the strikes killed at least 70 militants. Afghanistan rejected that account, and said dozens of civilians died. Afghan officials said women and children were among those killed.

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said several civilian areas in eastern Afghanistan were hit. It listed a religious madrassa and several homes among the locations struck. The ministry said the attacks violated Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty. Afghan officials also said the strikes targeted border regions rather than military sites.

Ceasefire and peace talks amid Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions

Tension has remained high for months, with major violence reported in October. Deadly border clashes then killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad later carried out strikes deep inside Afghanistan to target militant hideouts.

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire between the two countries has largely held. Still, both sides have occasionally traded fire across the border. Several rounds of peace talks in November did not produce a formal agreement. Thursday’s reports of strikes and retaliatory fire showed that the border dispute remained active.

With inputs from PTI