12 civilians dead, over 100 injured after Pakistani forces attack in Afghanistan; Kabul responds with retaliatory strikes

The incident has triggered heavy cross-border fighting, with Afghan forces claiming to have launched retaliatory strikes and seized multiple Pakistani military positions.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the official spokesperson for Afghanistan foreign ministry, accused Pakistani forces of opening fire using both light and heavy weapons, targeting civilian areas.

"Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which more than 12 civilians were martyred and more than 100 were injured," Mujahid said in a statement.

In response to the attack, Afghan forces launched a retaliatory operation targeting Pakistani military positions along the contested border zone.

After that, Afghan forces were forced to take retaliatory action," Mujahid stated. "In retaliatory operations, multiple Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed."

While the exact number of Pakistani casualties has not been independently verified, Mujahid claimed that Afghan forces inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani military assets.

"As a result, a large number of Pakistani invading soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks were seized from them, and most of their military facilities were also destroyed," he said.

"At 8 o'clock, the battle was brought back under our control, but the mujahideen, with high morale, are ready to defend their homeland, sanctity, and people," Mujahid added.

The Spin Boldak border crossing, a strategic and historically tense area between the two countries, has seen repeated flare-ups in the past.

In a separate but possibly connected incident later Tuesday night, clashes reportedly reignited along the border--this time in Pakistan's Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to state broadcaster PTV News, "Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij opened unprovoked fire in Kurram. Pakistani Army responded with full force and intensity," quoting security sources on X.

The report said that Fitna al-Khawarij is a term used by the state to refer to militants associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).PTV added that Taliban regime posts suffered heavy damage and that one of their tanks caught fire after being hit, forcing Taliban fighters to flee their positions.

In another update, the broadcaster said, "Another post and tank position of the Afghan Taliban destroyed in the Kurram sector."

According to Dawn, PTV further reported that a fourth tank position at the Shamsadar post was also destroyed. "There are reports of the killing of an important commander of Fitna al-Khawarij in this important operation of the Pakistan Army." (ANI)