Afghanistan Reports 28 Cross-Border Fighters Killed Amid Rising Tensions With Pakistan

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence announced that its forces successfully eliminated 28 fighters in the eastern province of Nuristan after they crossed the border from Pakistan. In an official statement shared on X, the Taliban's defence ministry verified that fierce clashes broke out with the opposing faction on Sunday.

According to the Afghan defence ministry, the majority of the casualties were former Afghan government security personnel who had been recruited by Pakistan's intelligence services with pledges of asylum and lucrative jobs abroad. Furthermore, the ministry asserted that the ranks included ISIL (ISIS) fighters backed by Pakistani militias.

In response, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting strongly refuted the claims, publishing a statement on X that dismissed the assertions as "frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth." Pakistan firmly denied any involvement of its security forces or intelligence agencies in the Nuristan clashes, rejected allegations of recruiting or training former Afghan security personnel, and denied facilitating ISIL (ISIS) or other armed factions inside Afghanistan.

The Pakistani information ministry also urged the Taliban to "take credible and verifiable action against terrorist organisations operating from its territory" to ensure that "Afghan soil will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country rather than attempting to deflect responsibility through fabricated accusations."

These deadly clashes highlight mounting friction between the two nations. Just last week, Pakistan conducted air strikes targeting 10 locations in Afghanistan allegedly used for storing and launching drones involved in cross-border attacks. An Afghan Taliban government spokesman reported that Thursday's strikes resulted in at least four deaths and vowed to deliver an "appropriate response."

While Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan of harboring militants who launch attacks across the border, Kabul has continuously denied these accusations. Sunday's violence follows previous Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan on September 21, which Islamabad claimed eliminated 28 fighters, whereas Afghan officials reported civilian casualties and the U.N. mission in Afghanistan verified three civilian deaths.