Days after a brief period of calm along the Pak-Afghan border, fresh clashes erupted in the Kurram sector as Pakistani security forces retaliated against unprovoked firing from Afghan Taliban regime and members of the militant group “Fitna al-Khawarij,” security sources confirmed on Tuesday.
According to the sources, Afghan Taliban fighters opened indiscriminate fire on Pakistani positions, prompting a strong and decisive response from the Pakistan Army. The retaliatory strikes reportedly inflicted significant damage on multiple Taliban posts, with fires breaking out across the border.
Security officials said two Taliban tanks were destroyed, and fighters were seen fleeing their positions, leaving behind several bodies of their fallen comrades. In one of the operations, a moving tank was precisely targeted and destroyed — described by sources as a “highly professional and skillful strike.” Footage of the destroyed tank is reportedly available.
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The latest exchange followed a two-day lull, with sources confirming that another Taliban post and tank position were eliminated in the ongoing operations. In an intense engagement at the Shamshad post, the Army destroyed a fourth tank position within an hour, underscoring the pace and intensity of the response.
Pakistan’s security forces also reportedly killed a key commander of Fitna al-Khawarij during the ongoing action. The militant fighters — both Taliban regime and their affiliates — were said to be in a state of panic and disarray, abandoning their posts in haste.
According to security officials, military operations against the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij are continuing with full force, focusing on eliminating hostile threats near the border and ensuring regional security.
The renewed fighting follows last week’s confrontation on the night of October 11–12, when Afghan Taliban forces, supported by “Indian-sponsored elements of Fitna al-Khawarij,” launched an unprovoked attack along the border.
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Responding to what it termed a “cowardly action,” the Pakistan Army said more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in overnight clashes, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The statement noted that the skirmishes caused significant infrastructural damage to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters, and support networks “ranging from tactical to operational depth along the border.”
“In the interest of regional peace and security, Pakistan urges the Taliban government to take swift and verifiable measures to dismantle terrorist groups — including FAK, FAH, and ISKP/Daesh — operating from Afghan soil,” the ISPR added.
Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday after exchanges of fire between forces on both sides.
