New Delhi: A Taliban spokesperson, Zabeehullah Mujahid, said on Sunday that Taliban forces killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers and wounded more than 30 in retaliatory strikes near the Durand Line in Behrampur district. Mujahid accused Pakistan of tolerating ISIS operatives on its territory and warned that Kabul would not leave “any attack unanswered.”
“Pakistan has turned a blind eye to the presence of ISIS on its soil,” Mujahid said, adding that Afghanistan reserves the right to defend its land and air borders. He urged Islamabad either to expel key ISIS figures reportedly hiding in Pakistan or hand them over to the Islamic Emirate, calling the group a threat to Afghanistan and other countries.
Mujahid claimed Taliban forces had cleared destabilizing elements from Afghan territory but said new training centers had been established across the border in Pashtunkhwa. “Recruits were brought to these centers for training via Karachi and Islamabad airports. Even attacks in Afghanistan are being planned from these centers, and there is documented evidence of this,” he said.
Defending the Taliban’s response, Mujahid said a “significant amount of weapons” fell into their hands during clashes, though he also acknowledged that more than 20 members of the Islamic Emirate forces were killed or wounded. “Anyone who aggresses against our soil or violates our airspace will face a harsh response,” he warned. Mujahid added that the airstrikes halted after interventions by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The tensions followed three explosions reported in Afghanistan the previous Thursday — two in Kabul and one in Paktika province which the Taliban blamed on Pakistan and described as violations of Afghan sovereignty. Pakistan did not confirm responsibility for those attacks but urged Kabul to stop harbouring Pakistani Taliban elements.
In retaliation, Afghan forces, according to the Taliban spokesman, targeted Pakistani positions across several border provinces, including Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kunar.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Afghan strikes, saying the Pakistani military “not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.” He pledged that Pakistan would not compromise on its defence and that “every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response.”
