Afghanistan announced on Sunday that its troops killed 58 Pakistani soldiers during overnight clashes along the shared border.
Officials said the operation responded to repeated Pakistani violations of Afghan territory and airspace.
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing Kabul and a market in the country’s east, an attack Pakistan never confirmed.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan troops captured 25 Pakistani army posts and injured 30 soldiers.
Kabul Vows to Defend Borders
Mujahid told reporters that Afghan forces fully control all official borders and have curbed illegal activity.
Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said troops launched “retaliatory and successful operations” against Pakistan’s army overnight.
The ministry warned that any further border violations would trigger an even stronger military response.
Pakistan has previously targeted what it calls militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s remote mountain regions.
Both nations have engaged in sporadic clashes over disputed sections of the frontier in recent years.
Rising Regional Tensions
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants responsible for deadly attacks on its soil.
Kabul denies these claims and insists it does not permit anyone to use Afghan territory against other nations.
Pakistan continues to battle rising militancy near the Afghan border while accusing India of secretly supporting insurgent groups.
The recent border violence threatens to escalate tensions in South Asia, already strained after deadly incidents in Kashmir earlier this year.
Before Afghanistan’s casualty report, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistani forces had destroyed Afghan positions and forced a retreat.
Pakistan’s army later claimed to have neutralised more than 200 Taliban fighters, though these claims remain unverified due to media restrictions.
Security officials said Afghan troops opened fire across several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, intensifying the border conflict.
