Taliban claims 28 fighters killed in Nuristan as Pakistan rejects involvement

New Delhi: Afghanistan’s defence ministry has claimed its forces killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 others in Kamdesh district of eastern Nuristan province after an armed group allegedly crossed from Pakistan. The ministry said the group included fighters linked to Islamic state and accused Pakistani elements of supporting the incursion, allegations Islamabad has rejected as “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth”.

According to the ministry, several groups crossed into Kamdesh on Saturday intending to carry out attacks, prompting an operation by Taliban forces. It alleged that many of those involved were former Afghan government security personnel recruited and trained in Pakistan, while Pakistani armed personnel and militia members coordinated with the fighters before withdrawing after the clashes began. The ministry further claimed surviving fighters retreated towards positions held by Pakistani militias across the border.

Pakistan’s ministry of information and broadcasting denied any involvement by the country’s security forces or intelligence agencies. It also rejected allegations that Pakistan had recruited or trained former Afghan security personnel or facilitated Islamic state or other militant groups in Afghanistan.

The ministry said Kabul had produced no identities, documents, communications, forensic material or independent verification to substantiate its claims. Pakistan said the allegations sought to link it to what it described as internal clashes inside Afghanistan.
The casualty figures and the identities or affiliations of the fighters have not been independently established. The Kabul Tribune, citing Afghanistan’s defence ministry, reported 28 killed and 32 wounded. Associated Press separately reported that 32 fighters were captured, highlighting a discrepancy in accounts of the operation.

The Nuristan episode comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan on September 21, saying strikes in Paktika and Kunar killed at least 28 militants, while Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed, a toll also confirmed by the UN.

As RNA Media reported earlier, Pakistan said it struck 10 locations inside Afghanistan on September 24 after alleging repeated drone incursions from Afghan territory, further straining already deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Afghanistan said the strikes hit Kandahar, Paktia and Khost and killed four civilians.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration of allowing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other armed groups to use Afghan territory for attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies providing haven to such groups and says militancy inside Pakistan is Islamabad’s internal problem.

The two governments remain at odds over the Nuristan incident. The Afghan casualty figures, the fighters’ identities and affiliations and any alleged Pakistani role remain independently unconfirmed.