SAUDI EXPATRIATES

Afghanistan’s interim government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces halted their operations after mediation efforts from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan’s private broadcaster Tolo News reported. Trending: Saudi Arabia bans tobacco shops near mosques and schools

The border fighting marked one of the deadliest confrontations since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Mujahid told reporters in Kabul that nine Afghan and 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed, while another 30 were injured. He claimed Afghan forces had captured more than 20 Pakistani border posts.

Pakistan’s military, however, reported 23 soldiers killed and 29 wounded. The army said in a statement that they had killed over 200 "Taliban forces and affiliated Khwarjis," while the number of wounded was significantly higher.

“As a result of these unrelenting operations, multiple Taliban locations were destroyed all along the border, 21 hostile positions on the Afghan side were briefly captured, and several terrorist training camps used to plan and facilitate attacks against Pakistan were rendered inoperative,” the military said.

The escalation followed accusations from Kabul that Pakistan violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market in Paktika province on Thursday night.

Islamabad has not confirmed or denied involvement but said it will take “all necessary measures” to protect its citizens amid rising militant attacks blamed on the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan maintains that TTP militants operate from Afghan territory, accusing Kabul of failing to prevent cross-border attacks.

Afghanistan denies the allegations, reaffirming its commitment not to allow its soil to be used for assaults against its neighbor.

The fighting led to the closure of two major crossings — Torkham in the northwest and Chaman in the southwest — halting trade and civilian movement. Most Viewed: Air India Express launches direct flights from Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait to Bengaluru

Afghan border forces launched overnight operations against Pakistani positions, leading to the closure of both crossings, according to Afghan broadcaster Tolo News.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 border crossings, with Torkham and Chaman serving as the main routes for trade and travel.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari reaffirmed Sunday that Islamabad remains “firmly committed to safeguarding its national interests, regional sovereignty, and security,” urging Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable action against anti-Pakistan terrorist elements operating from Afghan soil.”

In a statement, Zardari said Pakistan would continue to support Afghanistan’s educational and humanitarian needs but stressed that “no compromise will ever be made on Pakistan’s national sovereignty.”

Mujahid said Pakistan had proposed sending a delegation to Kabul for talks, but the Taliban administration rejected the offer, citing the alleged airspace violation as the reason.

Border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated Saturday as their armies exchanged heavy artillery and cross-border shelling along several eastern provinces.

The flare-up followed accusations by Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration that the Pakistani military violated its airspace over Kabul and bombed a market in the Margha region of Paktika province, near the border, on Thursday night.

Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the reported strikes but said it will take all necessary measures to protect its citizens amid a surge in militant attacks blamed on the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistani security sources said that exchanges of heavy fire have been ongoing since Saturday evening along multiple border points.

“Firing along the eastern border provinces, including Khost, Nangarhar, Paktika, Paktia, Kunar, and Khost, is continuing, and there are reports of some casualties, but we cannot confirm the figures currently,” a security official said, accusing Afghan border forces of initiating the clashes. See Also: Saudi Arabia to introduce new tax on sweet beverages

Islamabad has yet to issue an official statement on the reported fighting along the 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) border.

In a brief statement, Afghanistan’s interim Defense Ministry said the Taliban launched attacks “in response to repeated violations of Afghanistan’s airspace and airstrikes carried out on Afghan territory by the Pakistani military.”

The ministry added that Afghan forces “conducted successful retaliatory operations targeting Pakistani security outposts along the Durand Line,” which concluded at midnight local time.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show heavy artillery fire along the border.

Pakistan accuses the TTP, a coalition of several militant groups, of operating from Afghan territory and carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.

Kabul denies the allegations and insists it does not allow its soil to be used for hostile acts against its neighbor.

The renewed tensions come as Afghanistan’s interim foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, visited India, meeting with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and attending events hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation and Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in Uttar Pradesh.

Following their meeting, Muttaqi and Jaishankar issued a joint statement in which Jaishankar thanked Afghanistan for condemning the April Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people and sparked four days of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Islamabad on Saturday voiced “strong reservations” over the statement.

“The reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is in clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said. Follow Saudi Expatraits on X