The Taliban forces have launched a fierce counterattack on Pakistani military positions following Islamabad’s recent airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kabul and Paktika provinces. The retaliation in Helmand province has reportedly killed fifteen Pakistani soldiers and escalated tensions along the Durand Line.

Taliban claims control over Pakistani outposts

Mawlawi Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the Helmand provincial government, told the media that 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed during last night’s retaliatory operations by Afghan forces near the Durand Line in Bahrampur district.

Riaz added that Afghan forces had captured three Pakistani military outposts and seized a cache of weapons and ammunition. “This is a warning to Pakistan against repeated violations of our sovereignty,” he said.

Airstrikes, then reprisal

The fresh wave of violence came after Pakistan reportedly carried out airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika provinces on Thursday, triggering a sharp response from the Taliban government. Three explosions were reported in Afghanistan — two in Kabul and one in Paktika.

Afghanistan’s Taliban-run defence ministry accused Islamabad of aggression, saying the air raids were a direct breach of the country’s sovereignty. “In retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul, Taliban forces are engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas along the border,” the ministry said in a statement.

Later, defence ministry spokesperson Enayat Khowarazm told AFP that the “successful” operations ended at midnight. “If the opposing side violates Afghanistan’s territory again, our armed forces are ready to defend their territory and will respond firmly,” he warned.

Pakistan denies airstrike responsibility

Islamabad has not officially confirmed conducting Thursday’s air raids. However, Pakistani officials called on Kabul “to stop harbouring the Pakistani Taliban on its soil,” a long-standing accusation that has strained bilateral ties since 2021.

A senior official in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province told AFP that Pakistani forces had returned heavy fire after Taliban fighters opened fire at four points along the border. “We fired first light and then heavy artillery,” the official said. “Pakistani forces also shot down three Afghan quadcopters suspected of carrying explosives.”

TTP’s role in rising tensions

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban and supported it during the 2001–2021 conflict. Islamabad accuses the TTP of killing hundreds of its soldiers since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.

TTP militants have intensified their attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months, especially in the mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan. Islamabad claims Kabul has failed to prevent militants from launching cross-border attacks, a charge the Taliban administration denies.

Pakistan issues warning

A recent United Nations report stated that the TTP “receives substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities” in Afghanistan — a thinly veiled reference to the Taliban regime.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the National Assembly last week that attempts to persuade the Taliban to rein in the TTP had failed. “We will no longer tolerate this. United, we must respond to those facilitating them, whether the hideouts are on our soil or Afghan soil,” he said.

On Saturday, the TTP claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in northwest Pakistan that killed 20 security personnel and three civilians, according to AFP.

Growing border instability

The latest clashes have heightened fears of a wider regional conflict, with cross-border hostilities threatening to destabilise both countries. Security analysts warn that without dialogue, the volatile frontier could once again become a flashpoint for violence and militant activity.