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The steep escalation in cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan came against the backdrop of Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's India visit.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have been embroiled in one of the worst military conflicts in recent times.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Oct 12, 2025 18:05 IST
Fresh military hostilities have rocked India’s western neighbourhood as Pakistan and Afghanistan have been locked in one of the fiercest military conflicts in recent years after Kabul said that Islamabad launched a series of airstrikes on its territory on October 9, inflicting considerable damage to infrastructure and property. Pakistan defended the strikes, saying they were carried out against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it said, operated from safe havens on Afghan soil.
While the Taliban claimed that it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight strikes, Pakistan said that its security forces killed 200 TTP militants and claimed victory against the Afghan forces.
The steep escalation in cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan came against the backdrop of Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s India visit, which, experts believe, may have rattled Islamabad as New Delhi ramped up its Afghan outreach.
Here is what we know so far about the recent conflict:
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Pakistan should expel the important ISIS members who are hiding there from its soil or hand them over to the Islamic Emirate. The ISIS group poses a threat to many countries of the world, including Afghanistan, he said.
Earlier, Pakistan also claimed that it had captured 19 Afghan military posts and several “terrorist hideouts” following what it described as “unprovoked” attacks by Afghan forces along the border.
The Pakistani military also announced on Sunday that it had killed over 200 "Taliban and affiliated militants" in recent border clashes with Afghanistan, news agency Reuters reported, but said that it could not independently verify the claim.
Rasheed Helmandi, head of the Information and Culture Department of Afghanistan's Helmand province, told Tolo News that Pakistani forces launched a mortar strike on Haji Halim village in Baramcha district on Sunday, killing one civilian and injuring another.
According to Aamaj News, Pakistani drones recently struck the Wesh Spin Boldak area of Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district. The Taliban government has not yet issued a statement on the attack.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called the Taliban attacks on border posts "unprovoked", accusing them of firing at civilians. “Firing by Afghan forces on the civilian population is a blatant violation of international laws,” Naqvi said.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned what he called Afghanistan’s "provocations," vowing that Islamabad would not compromise on its defence. Sharif warned that any aggression would be met with a "strong and effective response," accusing the Taliban government of permitting "terrorist elements" to operate from Afghan territory.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi dismissed claims of TTP presence in Afghanistan, saying the militants were displaced Pakistanis given refuge after military operations in tribal areas. He criticised Islamabad for blaming Kabul.
Expressing concerns over the hostilities between the two countries, former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad termed it a "huge escalation" that posed dangerous risks. Khalilzad called for negotiations between Pakistan and the Taliban.
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Published On:
Oct 12, 2025
