Afghanistan and Pakistan said on Sunday, October 12th, they killed dozens of each other’s soldiers in deadly overnight border clashes.
Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border late on Saturday, for “retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul” earlier this week.
Islamabad has not claimed responsibility for the strikes, but has repeatedly highlighted its right to defend itself against what it claims is surging militancy from across the border.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s spokesman, said on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in the clashes, while nine Taliban forces were killed. The Pakistani military, meanwhile, said 23 of its soldiers and more than 200 Taliban and affiliated troops were killed.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday he “strongly condemns provocations” by Afghanistan. “There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response,” Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by “terrorist elements.”
Pakistani officials who requested anonymity told AFP there had been no casualties on the Pakistani side of the border crossing and that no further clashes had been reported in the area on Sunday morning.
