Afghanistan says it has killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations

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.

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, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others 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 press conference in Kabul. There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan about casualties.

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 border crossing, one of two main trade routes between the two countries, did not open on Sunday at its usual time of 8 am.

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 as Pakistan condemns attack

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.

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 Afghanistan checkposts, but the footage could not be independently verified because the media does not have access to these areas.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Saturday, calling 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, which apparently put the kingdom under Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella following Israel’s attack on Qatar.

Qatar also expressed concern about the escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A senior Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said Afghan forces opened fire in several northwestern border areas in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the districts of Chitral, Bajaur, Mohmand, Angoor Adda and Kurram.

The official also said troops responded with heavy weaponry near Tirah in Khyber district and across the frontier in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known as the Durand Line, but Afghanistan has never recognized it.

___

Associated Press writers Sajjad Tarakzai in Islamabad, Abdul Qahar Afghanand in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, and Jon Gambrell in Cairo contributed to this report.

Riaz Khan, The Associated Press