Kabul: Afghan military forces on Thursday retaliated against Pakistan and claimed to have captured several army posts of its neighboring country. Afghan forces carried out this attack to avenge Pakistan’s airstrike. This has increased the conflict between the two neighboring countries.
The Pakistan government confirmed that border clashes were taking place on Thursday, but did not immediately respond to Afghanistan’s claims of capturing the army post. Pakistan on Thursday described the attacks in Afghanistan as unprovoked.
The eastern Afghanistan military corps said in a statement that “heavy clashes” broke out on Thursday night in response to recent airstrikes by the Pakistani military in eastern Afghanistan.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post Thursday night, “In response to repeated attacks by the Pakistani army, large-scale attacks were carried out on Pakistani military bases and military positions along the Durand Line.”
The 2,611 kilometers (1,622 mi) long border between the two countries is known as the Durand Line, which is not officially recognized by Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said that retaliatory attacks are taking place in five provinces along the border. 17 Pakistani Army posts have been captured and 40 soldiers have been killed, out of which the bodies of 13 have been brought to Afghanistan.
Government spokesperson Mujahid said in an ex-post that some Pakistani soldiers have been captured alive. There has been no official statement from Pakistan on the claims of casualties or capture of soldiers.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry said in X Post that Afghanistan had resorted to ‘unprovoked firing’ at several places on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and this action is being responded to effectively by Pakistan’s security forces. The statement said that initial reports have shown that Afghan military forces have suffered heavy losses and many posts and military equipment have been destroyed. “Pakistan will take all necessary steps to ensure its territorial integrity and the security of its citizens,” the statement said.
The Afghan army has released video footage of military vehicles moving at night and heavy firing.
There has been tension between the two neighbors for months. Dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected terrorists were killed in deadly clashes on the border in October last year. This violence took place after the blasts in Kabul, for which Afghan officials held Pakistan responsible. At that time Pakistan had carried out attacks in Afghanistan to target terrorist hideouts. Later, there was a ceasefire between the two countries with the mediation of Qatar, but cross-border firing continues between the two sides.
Last Sunday, Pakistan’s army carried out attacks across the border with Afghanistan and claimed to have killed at least 70 terrorists. Afghanistan rejected this claim and said that dozens of civilians, including women and children, have been killed. The Defense Ministry said that different residential areas were attacked in eastern Afghanistan, including a seminary and several houses. The ministry said that the attacks violated Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.