KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Clashes have broken out between Taliban forces and Pakistani border troops at the Torkham crossing, according to Afghanistan’s state-run broadcaster, now under Taliban control.
The broadcaster reported on Saturday evening (February 28) that fighting began “moments ago” between the two sides at the key border point. It said both light and heavy weapons were being used in the confrontation.
According to the report, the Taliban have deployed reinforcements equipped with new weapons and military equipment to the area.
The latest fighting comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and Pakistan. Hostilities began on Thursday night after the Taliban carried out what they described as retaliatory attacks on Pakistani border posts.
The Taliban said those attacks were in response to Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika. Following the Taliban’s retaliatory strikes, Pakistan reportedly launched further air attacks targeting several Afghan provinces, including the capital, Kabul.
On Friday (February 27), the Taliban claimed that at least 66 civilians had been killed and 59 others wounded in Pakistani attacks over the past week. The figures have not been independently verified.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, said late-night Pakistani military operations in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces had resulted in additional civilian casualties.
He said that at around 11:00pm local time on Saturday, Pakistani drones struck civilian homes in the Ghani Khil district of Nangarhar province, killing a woman and a man and wounding two others. Four houses were also destroyed in the strike, he added.
Fitrat further stated that a house in Dand Patan district of Paktia province was hit by a rocket fired from Pakistan on the same night, killing one person and injuring another.
Pakistan has not immediately commented on the latest allegations. The situation along the border remains tense, with fears of further escalation between the two sides.
