According to military statements from both sides, heavy clashes have erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, marking a significant escalation in tensions. The Afghan Taliban frame these clashes as retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes, while Pakistan positions its actions as necessary self-defense against militant groups it says operate from Afghan soil.
The situation along the Durand Line intensified after Afghanistan's Taliban government accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on a border town in Paktika province and of "violating Kabul's sovereign territory," claims it described as an "unprecedented, violent, and provocative act". In response, the Afghan military's 201st Khalid bin Walid Army Corps announced it had launched "heavy clashes" against Pakistani forces' posts in various border areas, including Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. Reports indicate the clashes involved artillery exchanges and drone strikes.
Pakistan's actions are presented as a defensive necessity in the face of a surge in militant attacks. Pakistani authorities have long asserted that Afghanistan is used as a "base of operation for terrorism against Pakistan". This belief has been reinforced by a series of recent, high-casualty attacks claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Just in the past week, these attacks include an ambush on a military convoy in the Orakzai district that killed eleven personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, and a complex attack on a police training school in Dera Ismail Khan that killed seven policemen and was followed by a prolonged firefight. In total, TTP-claimed attacks in the northwest over recent days have killed more than 20 security officials and several civilians. In light of these assaults, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Parliament that Islamabad would show “no leniency” and would target “those places from where insurgents attack our security forces”.
Despite the military escalation, the core of Pakistan's position remains a call for cooperation. Pakistani officials consistently urge the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used for assaults on Pakistan. This stance is supported by international bodies; a United Nations report this year noted that the TTP receives "substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities" in Afghanistan. Pakistan's military actions are not as an offensive against Afghanistan, but as unavoidable measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties from cross-border terrorism.