KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban authorities in eastern Khost province reported that the Pakistani army fired several mortars into three villages near the border on Thursday night, January 2.
The spokesperson for the Taliban governor of Khost province, Mostaghfir Garbaz, said that the mortars were fired into the villages of Airokam, Kagah, and Garab in the Ali Shir district of Khost province.
He added that the Taliban forces “strongly responded” to the Pakistani mortar attacks. The Taliban authorities have not provided further details about the clash or whether the exchange of fire resulted in any casualties or damage on either side.
Pakistani officials have not yet commented on this matter.
The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 was initially welcomed by Islamabad as a new beginning, but cross-border skirmishes and increasing attacks by militant groups like the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) on Pakistan have strained relations.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering TTP leaders and fighters, providing them with training and weapons to carry out cross-border attacks and destabilize the region. The country has repeatedly called on the Taliban to prevent the militant group from conducting cross-border attacks or to surrender them to Islamabad.
Recently, Asif Durani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, publicly urged the Taliban to choose between the TTP and Pakistan, warning that strained ties with Islamabad could have serious consequences for the regime in Kabul.
Over the past two years, the Pakistani army has repeatedly bombed the border region in eastern Afghanistan as part of what it calls “counterterrorism operations,” claiming to target hideouts of the TTP and its affiliated groups.
Most recently, on December 24, Pakistani fighter jets bombed multiple locations in Barmal district of eastern Paktika province, which, according to the Taliban, killed and injured over 50 people, including women and children.
Pakistani officials said the airstrikes were carried out based on “solid evidence” that TTP militants were operating in those locations, targeting TTP strongholds and killing several of its militants. However, UN agencies in Kabul reported that the strikes killed “dozens of civilians,” including at least 20 children in the region.
Following the Pakistani airstrikes, the Taliban Ministry of Defense announced that it retaliated by targeting several locations inside Pakistan. However, no casualties were reported, and the Pakistani side has not yet commented on the Taliban’s claim.
