New Delhi: Pakistan said its army launched retaliatory action against Afghan Taliban positions on Saturday after what Pakistani security sources described as unprovoked firing in the Taida sector of Upper Kurram and Ghozgarhi. The officials claimed several Taliban personnel were killed and a base camp was destroyed during the operation.
According to Pakistani security sources cited by Moneycontrol, Afghan Taliban forces opened fire to facilitate the crossing of foreign militants into Pakistan. According to the News Pakistan, Pakistani army responded by targeting the Taliban’s Topser border post and Shipola base camp with artillery. According to reports, the camp was destroyed and Taliban personnel abandoned a border post following the strikes.
The developments came amid clashes in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, where Afghan sources reported that at least seven Pakistani soldiers were killed. Fighting was reported near Dand Patan district, Kharlaachi Gate, Top Sar and Konj Ali. Afghan sources accused Pakistani troops of attempting to establish unauthorized border positions, while Pakistan alleged that Afghan border guards had fired first at its checkpoints in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The casualty claims from both sides could not be independently verified.
Militancy remains a key dispute
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has rejected allegations that it shelters the group.
Earlier, Pakistan’s ministry of information said its forces had conducted airstrikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting militants associated with groups Islamabad calls Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
Pakistan recorded 225 militant attacks in September, up from 199 in August, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). The 13 per cent increase marked the third consecutive month of rising attacks.
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq began in February 2026 amid rising tensions due to the ceasefire deal struck in October 2025. Despite a number of meetings, the issue of militancy across the border and the security of the Durand Line continues to be a serious sticking point between Islamabad and Kabul.