Pakistan troops respond to ‘unprovoked’ Afghan Taliban fire along border

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces on Tuesday responded to ‘unprovoked firing’ by Afghan Taliban along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with clashes reported at multiple locations.

According to security sources, the exchanges of fire took place in the Chaman-Spin Boldak area, Angoor Adda in North Waziristan, and the Bajaur-Kunar sector, where both sides reportedly used heavy weapons.

Drone activity was also reported over some border posts, they added.

Security sources said the Pakistan Army was conducting retaliatory operations under “Operation Ghazab lil-Haq,” targeting Afghan Taliban positions across the frontier.

Multiple posts, including Sar Shana, Almarjan, and the Eidhi post, were reportedly struck and “effectively destroyed,” according to the sources. Vehicles and other installations were also targeted in the response.

“There has been unprovoked aggression from Afghan Taliban and affiliated elements, to which Pakistan has responded strongly,” a security source said, adding that operations would continue “until all assigned objectives are achieved.”

The sources said that Pakistan’s armed forces remained committed to defending the country’s sovereignty and would “thwart the designs of militants and their facilitators.”

There was no immediate official confirmation from either the Afghan Taliban government or Pakistan’s military spokesperson regarding casualties or damage.

However, local residents in Bajaur reported that shells had landed in several areas, causing panic, though no casualties were independently confirmed at the time of reporting.

Social media accounts linked to security installations in both countries also reported clashes, but the claims could not be independently verified.

Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have periodically flared in recent months, particularly in areas where militant groups are believed to operate across the frontier.