Pakistan, Oct 12 : Fierce clashes erupted along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Saturday night after Taliban fighters launched assaults on Pakistani military posts, escalating tensions in the region. The confrontation follows reports of a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul earlier this week.
Taliban officials claimed their forces captured two Pakistani border posts in Helmand province, a claim corroborated by local authorities. The attacks are being described as retaliation against Islamabad for allegedly targeting Afghan territory. Earlier, Kabul witnessed two explosions, and southeastern Afghanistan reported another blast, prompting the Taliban defence ministry to accuse Pakistan of “violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty.”
Pakistan Protests India-Afghanistan Statement on Kashmir
In a separate diplomatic development, Pakistan summoned the Afghan ambassador following Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India. Islamabad expressed “strong reservations” over the India-Afghanistan joint statement issued in New Delhi, which referenced Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) stated, “The reference to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.” The FO also rejected Muttaqi’s remarks labeling terrorism as an internal matter for Pakistan, asserting that deflecting responsibility would not absolve Afghanistan’s interim government from ensuring regional peace and stability.