Pakistani security forces and Afghan Taliban exchanged heavy firing on border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan near the Kurram district.
According to official and local sources, the fighting is no longer limited to border posts, but face-to-face fighting is ongoing at several places. Both sides are using artillery and mortar shells freely at the Govi border, Kharlachi, and Anzarka borders.
Police and district administration have confirmed that several mortar shells fired by the Afghan Taliban have fallen in residential areas like Nastikot, Taida, and Lalmay, causing damage to houses and creating severe panic among the local population.
Under “Operation Ghazb-lil-Haq”, the Pakistani army has targeted positions inside Afghan territory from where firing was being carried out. According to government claims, several checkpoints and arms depots have been destroyed inside Afghanistan.
There are reports of heavy casualties from both sides in the recent clashes. Pakistani officials claim that more than 130 Afghan fighters have been killed and hundreds have been injured in the operations so far. All educational institutions in the border areas of Kurram district are closed indefinitely, which puts the school year of thousands of children at risk. The closure of key trade routes like Kharlachi and Torkham is costing both countries millions of rupees daily, and there is a risk of food shortages.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and other senior officials have made it clear that Pakistan’s patience has run out. Pakistan alleges that Afghan soil is being used by TTP terrorists, while the Afghan Taliban denies these allegations and accuses Pakistan of aggression.
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