KABUL – Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that five of its soldiers and 25 militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in clashes near the Afghanistan border, even as delegations from Islamabad and the Taliban held peace talks in Turkiye.
According to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the fighting took place in the northwestern districts of Kurram and North Waziristan after “large groups” of militants attempted to infiltrate from Afghanistan. The slain fighters included four suicide bombers, and Pakistani forces reportedly seized a cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.
“It is significant to point out that these infiltration attempts by Fitna al Khwarij (TTP militants) are being carried out at a time when delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan are engaged in talks in Türkiye,” the ISPR said, suggesting the incidents “cast doubts on the intentions of the Taliban regarding terrorism emanating from its soil.”
The statement added that Pakistan had repeatedly urged the Taliban to strengthen border management and fulfill its commitments under the Doha Agreement by denying the use of Afghan territory to groups hostile to Pakistan.
There has been no immediate response from the Taliban authorities.
The clashes coincided with the second day of high-level meetings in Istanbul, where officials from both sides are discussing ways to prevent renewed hostilities following a deadly wave of border violence earlier this month.
The talks follow a ceasefire agreement brokered in Doha on October 19 by Qatar and Turkiye after cross-border strikes killed dozens of people on both sides.
State-run Pakistan Television reported that Saturday’s discussions in Istanbul lasted nine hours and centered on a three-point agenda, including setting up a joint mechanism to monitor cross-border militancy, ensuring respect for sovereignty and international obligations, and addressing trade, refugee repatriation, and political coordination.
Tensions between the Taliban and Islamabad have escalated since October 11, when Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan following the killing of 12 soldiers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The TTP, which shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban, has intensified attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021.
Pakistan has carried out multiple military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past decade but says TTP fighters regrouped during a brief ceasefire in 2022. Despite ongoing peace efforts, Islamabad maintains that continued militant activity along the frontier threatens both the ceasefire and broader regional stability.
