Pakistan-Afghan Taliban Forces Clash Along Kurram Border

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have responded to unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Kurram sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, state broadcaster PTV News reported on Saturday.

PTV News and state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), which cited security sources, said the Afghan Taliban forces opened fire to “facilitate terrorists”.

The army responded using heavy weapons, destroying several Afghan Taliban posts and forcing their personnel to flee from there, PTV News reported.
Meanwhile, APP quoted security sources as saying that several personnel of the Afghan Taliban were “reportedly killed during the Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action along the Ghuzgarhi border”.

The sources further said that in the Upper Kurram sector, the army targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Topsar post and Shipola base camp with artillery fire, reportedly completely destroying the latter.

The exchange of fire was still ongoing in the area, APP quoted security sources as saying.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has remained a source of tension since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has denied allegations that Afghan soil is being used against other countries.

Pakistan has intensified its security response to cross-border militancy amid a resurgence of attacks targeting security forces and civilians, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad maintains that militant networks operating from Afghanistan pose a serious threat to its internal security and has called on the Taliban administration to take verifiable action against them.

Border tensions have also been fuelled by disagreements over militant movement, cross-border firing and the construction of border infrastructure. Pakistan has fenced much of the 2,600-kilometre frontier, a move opposed by elements on the Afghan side, which have historically disputed aspects of the border arrangement. Clashes along the frontier have periodically disrupted movement and heightened tensions between the two neighbours.

Despite diplomatic engagement and security-level contacts, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban authorities have struggled to establish a lasting mechanism to prevent cross-border attacks and resolve security disputes. Islamabad has pressed Kabul to ensure that Afghan territory is not used by militant groups targeting Pakistan, while the Taliban authorities have rejected accusations of harbouring anti-Pakistan militants. The latest exchange of fire in the Kurram sector underscores the continuing risk that militant activity and border incidents could further strain bilateral relations.