Pakistan Afghanistan Border Clashes

[ghazi52]

Eight Afghan troops killed in border clash

PESHAWAR: A clash between Pakistani security forces and the Afghan Taliban on the border near the Kurram district resulted in the death of eight Afghan soldiers, including two ‘key’ commanders, and injuries to at least 16, Dawn has learnt.

Sources said the Afghan side attacked a Pakistani check post with heavy weapons in the Palosin area on the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday morning.

“We have reports about heavy losses on the other [Afghan] side. So far, eight Afghan Taliban have been killed and 16 others have sustained injuries in retaliatory firing by the Pakistani forces,” sources said, adding two ‘key’ commanders, Khalil and Jan Muhammad, were also killed.

There was no official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on this incident until going to press.

This is not the first time Afghan troops have opened fire on Pakistani security forces posted at the border, sources said, adding that in the past Pakistan had shared its concerns with Kabul over such incidents. They claimed that the Afghan Taliban, apart from facilitating militant activities inside Pakistan, were now openly attacking the forces along the international border.

Due to the tense security situation, trade between the two countries remained suspended over the weekend. A Dawn correspondent said there was intermittent firing on the border on Sunday as well, but no casualties were reported.

In May this year, the Foreign Office conveyed its concerns to Kabul after a large number of locals were displaced in Kharlachi and sought shelter in safer places in the wake of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

At the time, tribal elders from Kurram and the Afghan side played a role in defusing the tensions. However, clashes on the border had prompted large-scale displacement from villages and settlements near the Kharlachi border crossing.

FC man martyred

Meanwhile, an FC official was martyred and three personnel sustained injuries in an attack carried out in the Marghan area of the central Kurram on Sunday.

Police sources said militants attacked an FC check post of the Tall Scouts and managed to escape after the ambush. The dead body and injured personnel had been shifted to the hospital.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024

Eight Afghan troops killed in border clash​

Separately, FC man martyred, three injured in Kurram ambush.
www.dawn.com

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[HamzaWaseem]

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[HaiderAfan]

Escalating Tensions on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border: Afghan Taliban's Unprovoked Firing Leads to Retaliatory ActionRecent incidents have led to a significant increase in tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to reports, Afghan Taliban forces initiated unprovoked firing across the border.
In response, Pakistani security forces conducted retaliatory operations, resulting in the reported deaths of 16 Taliban fighters.The situation escalated further as the Pakistan Army claimed to have destroyed Afghan tanks during the engagement. This marks a serious escalation in the ongoing border disputes between the two countries, potentially involving heavier military equipment than typically seen in border skirmishes.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of increasing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban's return to power in Kabul in 2021. Key issues fueling these tensions include:

1. Disputes over the Durand Line, the colonial-era border between the two countries.
2. Pakistan's efforts to fence the border, which Afghanistan opposes.
3. Accusations from Pakistan that the Afghan Taliban is providing safe haven to militant groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
4. Cross-border attacks and the movement of militant groups in the border regions.

The use of tanks and the high number of reported casualties suggest this incident is more severe than typical border skirmishes, potentially marking a dangerous escalation in the already tense relationship between the two neighboring countries

 

[AbdulQadir7]

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[Akbar26]

IDIOTS

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[sidkhan2]

Escalating Tensions on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border: Afghan Taliban's Unprovoked Firing Leads to Retaliatory ActionRecent incidents have led to a significant increase in tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to reports, Afghan Taliban forces initiated unprovoked firing across the border.
In response, Pakistani security forces conducted retaliatory operations, resulting in the reported deaths of 16 Taliban fighters.The situation escalated further as the Pakistan Army claimed to have destroyed Afghan tanks during the engagement. This marks a serious escalation in the ongoing border disputes between the two countries, potentially involving heavier military equipment than typically seen in border skirmishes.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of increasing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban's return to power in Kabul in 2021. Key issues fueling these tensions include:

1. Disputes over the Durand Line, the colonial-era border between the two countries.
2. Pakistan's efforts to fence the border, which Afghanistan opposes.
3. Accusations from Pakistan that the Afghan Taliban is providing safe haven to militant groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
4. Cross-border attacks and the movement of militant groups in the border regions.

The use of tanks and the high number of reported casualties suggest this incident is more severe than typical border skirmishes, potentially marking a dangerous escalation in the already tense relationship between the two neighboring countries

View attachment 1032609

On September 7-9, 2024, Afghan Taliban forces launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistani military posts along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Key points:

1. The attack began with heavy weapons fire from the Afghan area of Plosin towards Pakistani checkposts.
2. The unprovoked firing continued for multiple days, from September 7 to September 9.
3. Pakistan Army responded with "strong retaliatory fire" against the Afghan Taliban forces.
4. Results of Pakistan's response:
   • 16 Afghan Taliban fighters were reportedly killed
   • 27 Afghan Taliban fighters were wounded
   • Two Afghan tanks were destroyed
5. Pakistani security sources stated that any form of unprovoked aggression along the border will be met with a decisive response.
6. This is not the first instance of such cross-border attacks, as similar incidents have occurred in the past.
7. Pakistan has previously raised concerns with Afghanistan about these attacks and called on Taliban rulers to control militants and prevent the use of Afghan soil for attacks on Pakistan.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the challenges in maintaining security in the region. It also demonstrates Pakistan's stance on responding firmly to perceived threats or aggression from across the border.

 

[sidkhan2]

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[ghazi52]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1837797620380512597

 

[ghazi52]

Torkham Border Crossing reopens after 27 days ​

Tahir Khan
March 19, 2025


The Torkham border crossing reopened on Wednesday after 27 days following much-awaited parleys between jirga members of Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to a jirga leader from the Pakistani side.

The cross-border movement of people via the Torkham border crossing was abruptly suspended on February 21 after Pakistani and Afghan security forces developed differences over construction activities on both sides of the border.

The situation worsened this month when eight people, including six troops, were injured as Pakistan and Afghan Taliban forces traded fire at the border.

A number of houses, a mosque and some offices of clearing agents were hit by artillery shells, and cross-border firing continued for three days. Since then, tribal elders on both sides of the border have been engaged in talks to end the stalemate.

Around 5,000 commercial trucks had been stuck on both sides, causing millions of dollars worth of losses to traders on both sides, according to the vice president of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi.

The decision to reopen the border was taken at a flag meeting at Torkham on the Afghan side on Wednesday, head of the Pakistani jirga Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi told Dawn.com.

Kazmi said that the border has now opened for cargo vehicles and will open for pedestrians and patients on Friday after the repair of Pakistani customs infrastructure damaged due to firing from the Afghan side.

Additionally, an immediate ceasefire has been agreed upon till April 15. Both sides agreed to stop construction of the controversial check posts, Kazmi added.

Nangrahar Deputy Governor Molvi Azizullah and Commissioner Molvi Hikmatullah represented the Afghan side in the flag meeting.

“Pakistani members of the jirga had pressed for a halt to the controversial constructions on the Afghan side,” Kazmi said.

Afghan state news agency Bakhtar also confirmed the crossing’s reopening for vehicles and patients. The report said movement of pedestrians would resume on Friday.

On March 17, a joint jirga comprised of elders and traders had brokered a deal which included the reopening of the crossing, a ceasefire, and a halt to the construction of check posts on the Afghan side near the border.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told a weekly press briefing on March 13 that the Afghan side had carried out illegal and unilateral construction activity within the Pakistani territory at two points along the Pakistan border.

On their part, Afghan Taliban officials insisted that they wanted to build check posts on their side.

Afghan Taliban officials had claimed that Pakistan had been involved in the illegal construction of towers.

Pakistani officials had clarified to the Afghan side that the towers were being built in the border terminal to facilitate traders and patients.

Two meetings of Pakistani and Afghan officials and a previous jirga meeting had failed to resolve the issue.

 

[ghazi52]

After opening the Pak-Afghan border Torkham (25 days) for trade activities from both sides, the first vehicles have left for Afghanistan from Pakistan side Torkham.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902317765953773715

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

Political audit of Afghan policy​

Rafiullah Kakar
March 21, 2025

THE latest clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces are yet another sign of the deepening rift between the two neighbours.

Just three years after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul — a moment that was celebrated by Pakistan’s civil and military elites — relations between Islamabad and the Taliban have soured dramatically.

Since the Taliban’s ascent, Pakistan has faced a renewed wave of terrorism along its western frontier, with the TTP and IS-K at the forefront. Pakistani air strikes on suspected TTP hideouts and repeated diplomatic warnings have done little to persuade Kabul to rein in the militants.

As our military and civilian leaders grapple with the failure of the Afghan policy, an honest introspection and soul-searching is overdue. Rethinking strategy requires more than military responses and diplomatic ultimatums; it demands an unflinching assessment of past miscalculations and a clearer vision for the future.

The resurgence of terrorism along the western border is the direct outcome of decades-long state policies that fostered religiously motivated extremism and militancy as tools of foreign and domestic policies, including nation-building strategies and internal security policy. Chief among these has been Pakistan’s Afghan policy, which has relied on Islamist proxies since at least the 1970s.

Defenders of this policy traditionally argued that it was shaped by constraints of regional geopolitics and security. While the geopolitical constraints are undeniable, the security leadership had alternatives at critical junctures — choices they avoided.

During the Cold War, our security establishment chose to serve as a proxy in the US-Soviet rivalry. In the 1990s, it doubled down on support for the Taliban, alienating all other Afghan stakeholders it had built cordial relations with in the preceding decade. Post-9/11, Pakistan permitted its soil to be used as a sanctuary for the Taliban, even as these actions drew domestic and international backlash. Despite the obvious costs, the pro-Taliban Afghan policy persisted.

Rethinking strategy requires more than military responses and diplomatic ultimatums.

At its core, the Afghan policy has relied on sponsoring Islamist extremists of various stripes to achieve maximalist strategic ambitions in Afghanistan. The results have been catastrophic, both externally and internally.

Externally, Pakistan’s objectives — countering Indian influence and ensuring a friendly (read: pliant) government in Kabul — have failed. For most of the past four decades, Kabul’s ties with New Delhi have been more cordial than with Islamabad.

 

[ghazi52]

Despite nurturing various shades of Pakhtun Islamists in Afghanistan for over five decades, Pakistan has few friends there, let alone a pliant government. The 1980s alienated secular and left-leaning Afghan nationalists.

The 1990s alienated Pakhtun nationalists and non-Pakhtun groups. Since 9/11, the state has managed to alienate virtually every segment of Afghan society, including the Taliban.

The goodwill Pakistan had garnered during the so-called anti-Soviet jihad was squandered. Today, Afghan factions across the political spectrum view Pakistan’s policies as domineering.

The pro-Taliban policy also damaged relations with the US and the broader Western world. This security-centric approach also undermined the country’s geo-economic interests, such as trade with Afghanistan, access to Central Asia’s resource wealth, and the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

 

[ghazi52]

Internally, the costs have been devastating. Pakistan’s Afghan policy has directly contributed to the rise of domestic terrorism, claiming over 70,000 lives and causing economic losses in billions.

In its quest for the elusive and misguided goal of ‘strategic depth’, the state fostered a sprawling network of religious seminaries along the Durand Line and cultivated a political environment ripe for the rise of religiously inspired extremism, with little regard for the domestic fallout. These religious networks have since evolved into existential threats.

Security elites justified these policies by claiming that the Taliban would counter Indian influence and weaken ‘Indian-backed’ militancy within Pakistan. Yet the massive surge in violence since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul proves these assumptions wrong.

Ironically, with the Taliban in power in Kabul, we have only ended up facilitating ‘reverse strategic depth’, whereby the TTP uses Afghan-Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan.

In any political system with a semblance of accountability, such persistent policy failures would have prompted major course corrections and held decision-makers to account. But in Pakistan, the same failed policies have continued to thrive.

 

[ghazi52]

The mix of failed policies and a culture of impunity has inflicted significant damage on state legitimacy, which is becoming increasingly evident in the peripheries in recent months, as grassroots movements — and even elements within the police and civilian agencies — blame state institutions for these disastrous policies, despite the fact that soldiers are themselves under daily attack.

Equally troubling is the apparent complicity of Pakistan’s mainstream political parties, and sections of the media, and civil society, where dominant narratives muzzle the voices from the periphery.

Grassroots movements in the country’s periphery — the ones bearing the greatest costs of these misguided policies — have consistently sounded the alarm, only to be ignored or suppressed.

The complicity of mainstream civilian parties has continued unabated, despite all the losses and sufferings of the past two decades. During the PTI government, the previous security leadership brokered secretive deals to enable the return of the TTP. Only parliamentarians from the periphery voiced serious concerns. Their warnings were dismissed — not just by the PTI but also the current government.

The time for relying solely on kinetic measures is long past. What Pakistan needs is a wholesale rethinking of its internal nation-building strategies, security priorities, and foreign policy. Achieving these shifts will require political will, vision, and genuine democratic oversight.

Dealing with the rising terrorism threat has been complicated by the non-inclusive nature of the current political settlement in Islamabad. It excludes all political parties and movements whose primary social support is based in Balochistan and KP — the provinces most directly affected by the escalating violence.