Helmand, Oct 12: At least 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province after Taliban forces retaliated against Pakistani airstrikes, including those targeting Kabul and Paktika provinces.
Mawlawi Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesperson for the Helmand provincial government, said Afghan forces conducted retaliatory operations near the Durand Line in Bahrampur district, capturing three Pakistani military outposts and seizing weapons and ammunition.
The Afghan Taliban confirmed that its forces have been targeting Pakistani posts along multiple provinces bordering Pakistan, including Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kunar, following Pakistan’s recent airstrikes.
Three explosions were reported in Afghanistan on Thursday — two in Kabul and one in Paktika — with the Taliban’s defence ministry accusing Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty. “In retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul, Taliban forces are engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces along the border,” the ministry said.
A defence ministry spokesperson later told AFP that the operations ended at midnight, adding that Afghan forces are prepared to defend their territory if further incursions occur.
Islamabad has not confirmed its involvement in Thursday’s attacks but called on Kabul to stop harbouring Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. The TTP, an ideological ally of the Afghan Taliban, has carried out hundreds of attacks against Pakistani forces since 2021, and militants claimed responsibility on Saturday for an attack killing 20 security officials and three civilians.
A senior official in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province said Pakistani forces responded with heavy artillery, shooting down three Afghan quadcopters suspected of carrying explosives. Fighting reportedly continues, though Pakistan has not reported casualties in this latest engagement.
Earlier this year, a UN report noted that the TTP receives logistical and operational support from the Taliban’s de facto authorities in Kabul. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said last week that attempts to convince the Afghan Taliban to curb TTP activities had failed, warning Islamabad would respond firmly to anyone facilitating attacks, whether on Pakistani or Afghan soil. (Agencies)
