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“In response to repeated provocations and violations by Pakistani military circles, large-scale offensive operations have been launched against Pakistani military positions and installations along the Durand Line,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a post on X.
The Pakistan government said on Thursday night that the Afghan Taliban had opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was being given an “immediate and effective response”.
“Afghan Taliban regime unprovoked action along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border given an immediate, and effective response.
“Afghan Taliban miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations across Pakistan Afghanistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is being met with immediate, and effective response by Pakistan’s security forces,” the information ministry said in a post on X.
The statement added that the “Taliban regime forces are being delivered punishment in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors”.
It said that early reports had confirmed heavy casualties on the Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed.
“Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens,” the statement said.
According to security sources, counter attacks by Pakistan’s forces destroyed “Taliban’s hideouts and the khawarij fled”.
The sources said the forces targeted and destroyed the Afghan Taliban’s check post across the border from the Chitral sector and also responded with full force in Nawagai sector Bajaur, Tirah Khyber, Mohmand district and Arandu sector in Chitral.
Security forces destroyed two Afghan posts across the border from Bajaur, the sources said.
The latest clashes along the border come less than a week after Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan.
While an official initially said that “more than 80” terrorists had been killed in the air strikes, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry later said during an address in the Senate that there were reports of over 100 terrorists being killed.
The information ministry said at the time that the strikes were carried out in response to a number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan — such as the suicide bombing at an Islamabad Imambargah and a number of attacks in Bannu and Bajaur during the holy month of Ramazan.
“Pakistan has conclusive evidence that these acts of terrorism were perpetrated by khawarij at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers,” the ministry said, adding that in response, Pakistan carried out “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban [Fitna-al-Khawarij] and its affiliates, and [Islamic State-Khorasan] at the border region of Pakistan Afghan border with precision and accuracy”.
Fitna-al-Khawarij is the term the state uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.