Several people were reported killed and scores wounded as fierce cross-border fighting broke out between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani forces early Wednesday along the volatile Chaman–Spin Boldak frontier. Both sides blamed each other for triggering the clashes, marking one of the deadliest flare-ups in years.
According to Afghan government officials, Taliban forces destroyed a Pakistan Army border post and seized a tank used to shell Afghan positions. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Afghan troops killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory strikes after Pakistan launched heavy shelling on the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. He said at least 12 Afghan civilians were killed and more than 100 wounded in the initial Pakistani bombardment.
“Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons, forcing Afghan forces to respond in self-defence,” Mujahid said on X, adding that Afghan fighters captured Pakistani weapons, tanks, and military posts. There were various videos released by Taliban units showing slain Pakistani soldiers and captured armoured vehicles.
Pakistan, however, dismissed the claims, accusing Afghan forces and Pakistani Taliban militants of jointly firing “without provocation” on its posts in Chaman and Kurram. Pakistan’s state media reported that its troops retaliated “strongly,” destroying Taliban positions and a major Pakistani Taliban training camp. Officials told Reuters that the fighting lasted nearly five hours before Pakistani forces “repulsed the attack.”
In a separate assault on the Mahmoodzai Post in Orakzai, the Pakistani Taliban killed eight Frontier Corps personnel, with several others missing. This marks the second border confrontation in a week, intensifying tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The clashes come amid Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, deepening Islamabad’s unease. Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering the TTP, a charge the Taliban leadership continues to deny.
