KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – At least 274 Taliban fighters were killed and more than 400 injured, and 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in the latest border clashes and airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan Army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Chaudhry said Pakistani forces destroyed 73 Taliban posts and seized control of 18 others. He added that at least 115 Taliban tanks and other armored vehicles were destroyed during the operations, which took place across 22 locations in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika provinces.
“We specifically targeted logistics bases and shelters used by terrorists,” Chaudhry said. “No civilian damage was caused, and great care was taken to avoid any harm to civilians.” He acknowledged Pakistani casualties, stating that one soldier remains missing.
Chaudhry also warned that Pakistan would hold the Afghan Taliban accountable for any attacks originating from Afghan soil. “If there is any attack inside Pakistan, we will go after the Afghan Taliban,” he said.
“The Afghan Taliban regime has to make a clear choice between terrorist organizations and Pakistan,” he said, naming Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army, Islamic State, and Al-Qaeda.
The Taliban have not yet responded to the latest Pakistani casualty figures or Chaudhry’s statements. However, the group earlier claimed it had killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and injured many others in border clashes that began Thursday evening, followed by Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and other provinces early Friday.
On Friday evening, the Taliban authorities announced a fresh wave of attacks against Pakistani positions in the border areas of Khost and Paktia in retaliation for the airstrikes, though Islamabad has not commented on these fresh clashes.
Regional states, including Iran, China, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, and others such as the United Kingdom and the United Nations, have urged both sides to halt hostilities and resolve disputes through dialogue. Some of these countries have offered to mediate in an effort to ease tensions between the two neighbors.
