KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Clashes have broken out between Taliban forces and Pakistani border troops in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, according to local Taliban officials and media reports.
Zabihullah Noorani, the Taliban’s head of Information and Culture in Nangarhar, confirmed that the fighting took place on Tuesday afternoon (24 February) in the Kot area of Nazyan district. He said the confrontation began after Pakistani forces allegedly opened fire toward Taliban positions.
Noorani stated that Taliban forces destroyed a Pakistani border outpost during the exchange and that the fighting in that area has since stopped.
However, local sources reported that clashes also erupted in Achin and Dor Baba districts of Nangarhar province. According to these sources, fighting in those two districts is ongoing.
A Taliban official also confirmed the confrontation to Al Jazeera, saying that clashes had taken place between Taliban and Pakistani forces in eastern Afghanistan, but did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, from the Pakistani side, Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Pakistan, confirmed the clashes along the border. In a post on X, he said: “The Afghan Taliban regime initiated unprovoked firing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Torkham & Tirah sub-sectors. Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately & effectively, silencing the Taliban aggression. Any further provocation will be responded to immediately and severely. InshaAllah, Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity.”
In turn, Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s “201 Khalid bin Walid Army,” said that Taliban forces were patrolling the Achin and Dor Baba districts when they came under fire from Pakistani border troops. He added that the Taliban responded strongly, and the clashes have now stopped, with the situation described as normal. According to Mohammadi, Taliban forces did not suffer any casualties, and the confrontation is not considered a retaliatory attack.
The latest violence comes three days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Nangarhar. In response to the airstrikes, Amnesty International called for a comprehensive, independent, and impartial investigation into civilian casualties. The organization expressed deep concern over civilian deaths and noted that this is not the first time civilians have borne the brunt of violence. Citing UNAMA, Amnesty highlighted that during previous border clashes in October and December 2025, 70 civilians were killed and 478 others were injured. The group urged all parties to take all necessary measures to protect civilians, in accordance with international law. According to Taliban figures, 17 people were killed, including 11 children, and five others were injured in Nangarhar, while UNAMA reported 13 civilian deaths and seven wounded in the strikes.
The Taliban had previously said they would respond to those airstrikes “at an appropriate time.”
According to Pakistani media, including Geo News, at least seven people — including six Pakistani police officers — were killed when a police patrol vehicle was targeted in the Kohat district on Tuesday, February 24.
Reports said three police officers died at the scene, while three other officers and one civilian later succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Two civilians who were near the vehicle were also wounded in the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. However, suspicion has fallen on the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has previously carried out similar attacks in the region.
There has been no immediate comment from Pakistani authorities regarding the latest border clashes.
Militant violence has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, with the TTP and other groups frequently targeting security forces and installations.
Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of allowing TTP militants to operate from Afghan territory to launch cross-border attacks, allegations denied by the Taliban, who urge Pakistan to address its security issues domestically.
