Afghanistan says it has killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border
operations
[October 13, 2025]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan said Sunday it
killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations, in response
to what it called repeated violations of its territory and airspace.
Pakistan’s army gave far lower casualty figures, saying 23 troops were
killed.
Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the
capital, Kabul, and a market in the country’s east. Pakistan did not
claim responsibility for the assault.
The Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said
Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, leaving 30
Pakistani soldiers wounded.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan
is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely
prevented,” Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul.
Pakistan has previously struck locations inside Afghanistan, targeting
what it alleges are militant hideouts, but these have been in remote and
mountainous areas. The two sides have also skirmished along the border
in the past. Saturday night's heavy clashes underscore the deepening
tensions.
The Taliban government’s Defense Ministry said early Sunday morning its
forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations” along the
border.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial
integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s
borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry added.
The Torkham crossing, one of two main trade routes between the two
countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8 a.m.
The crossing at Chaman, southwest Pakistan, was also closed. People,
including Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan, were turned away due to the
worsening security situation.
An Associated Press reporter in Chaman heard jets over Spin Boldak, a
city in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, and saw smoke rising
after an explosion.
Regional powers call for calm
Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harboring members of the banned
group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out
deadly attacks inside Pakistan, but Kabul denies the charge, saying it
does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Pakistan is grappling with surging militancy, especially in areas
bordering Afghanistan. It also accuses its nuclear-armed neighbor and
rival India of backing armed groups, without providing any evidence.
The overnight border clashes could fuel regional instability, as India
and Pakistan came close to war earlier this year after a tourist
massacre in the disputed region of Kashmir.
India has also boosted its relations with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers,
most recently announcing an upgrade of its technical mission in Kabul to
a full embassy.
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Afghan refugees sit next to their belongings loaded onto vehicles as
they wait for the reopening of the border crossing point, which
closed after Afghan and Pakistani security forces exchanged fire, at
a camp in Chaman, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo)
The Saudi Foreign Ministry called for “restraint, avoidance of
escalation and the adoption of dialogue and wisdom to help
de-escalate tensions and maintain the security and stability of the
region.” Saudi Arabia just reached a mutual defense pact with
Pakistan. Qatar also urged restraint.
The Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is in India on
an official visit, told journalists that Afghanistan respected the
calls made by the two Gulf powers to stop what he called
“retaliatory strikes” against Pakistan. But he also warned that
Kabul reserved the right to protect itself.
“We want a peaceful resolution of the situation, but if the peace
efforts don’t succeed, we have other options,” Muttaqi said.
Pakistan condemns attack
Before the Afghan claim of casualties, Pakistani Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault and said the country's army
“not only gave a befitting reply to Afghanistan’s provocations but
also destroyed several of their posts, forcing them to retreat.”
Pakistani security officials shared videos purporting to show
destroyed Afghan checkpoints, but the footage could not be
independently verified because the media does not have access to
these areas.
The Pakistani army said more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated
terrorists have been neutralized, while the number of injured is
much higher."
According to Pakistani security officials, Afghan forces opened fire
in several northwestern border areas in the province of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
One official in Islamabad told The Associated Press that Pakistan
had taken control of 19 Afghan border posts from where attacks were
being launched. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to talk to the media.
“The Taliban personnel at these posts have either been killed or
fled. Fires and visible destruction have been observed at the
captured Afghan posts,” the official added.
The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known
as the Durand Line, but Afghanistan has never recognized it.
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Associated Press writers Sajjad Tarakzai in Islamabad, Abdul Qahar
Afghan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Jon Gambrell in Cairo, and Rajesh
Roy in New Delhi contributed to this report.
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