Star Metro - Afghanistan, Pakistan say their forces killed dozens in border clashes

Afghanistan's Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border late on Saturday, in what it called "retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul" on Thursday.

Islamabad has not directly claimed responsibility for the strikes, but has repeatedly stated the right to defend itself against surging militancy that it says is planned from Afghan soil.

The two sides have repeatedly clashed in border regions since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, but airspace violations deep into Afghan territory would mark a significant escalation.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesman, said on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in the clashes, while nine Taliban forces were killed.

The Pakistani military, meanwhile, said 23 of its soldiers and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated troops were killed.

AFP was unable to independently verify the casualty figures.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday the "situation is under control".

"Our operation last night achieved its objectives. And then our friends like Qatar and Saudi Arabia appealed that war must stop now, and the war is ceased right now," he said during a visit to India.

An Afghan military unit described Thursday's blasts in the capital as "air strikes", but Mujahid instead said the incident was an "airspace violation", adding that no damage had been found.

- 'Strong' response -

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday he "strongly condemns provocations" by Afghanistan.

"There will be no compromise on Pakistan's defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response," Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by "terrorist elements".

The Afghan military said on Saturday night that Taliban forces were engaged "in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas".

Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported at major crossings on Sunday morning.

Key border crossings between the countries were closed on Sunday, officials said.

Extra troops have been sent to the major border crossing at Torkham, which sits on the frontier between Kabul and Islamabad.

Pakistani officials at Torkham, who requested anonymity, told AFP there had been no casualties on their side of the border crossing and that no further clashes had been reported in the area on Sunday morning.

The violence came while India hosted Afghanistan's foreign minister for the first time since the Taliban returned to power.

Wahid Faqiri, an Afghan international relations expert, said those warming relations have "angered Pakistan and pushed Islamabad towards aggression".

- Resurgent violence -

Militancy increased in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.

The vast majority of attacks are claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), whose campaign against Pakistan security forces has intensified this year -- set to be the deadliest in more than a decade.

Violence in the border region has "plunged relations between the neighbours to an all-time low", said Maleeha Lodhi, a former senior Pakistani diplomat.

"But there will have to be a return to diplomacy to find a resolution to the confrontation," she told AFP.

The TTP is a separate but closely linked group to the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil with impunity.

A UN report this year said the TTP "receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities", referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.

More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a Pakistan military spokesman said on Friday.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.

"Enough is enough," he said. "The Pakistani government and army's patience has run out."

W.Richard--SMC