Afghanistan has said it is running a number of attacks on Pakistani positions by the Durand Line, and that these were a direct response to the recent air attacks by Pakistan. Taliban people in charge said many strong places had been taken over, many soldiers had been killed, and some had been taken alive – although nobody outside has been able to check these numbers.
Taliban Announces Operation in Retaliation
Taliban people who speak for the group said the operations started after what they called many times being provoked, and deadly air attacks on Afghan land. The government said the attacks were careful and military answers to attacks which it says killed people who weren’t fighting in the east of the country.
Those in charge called the mission big and well organised, and stressed it was meant to punish what it thought were breaches of the rules, and to stop more air attacks on Afghan people’s areas.
Claims of Checkpoints Taken and Prisoners
The Taliban said their forces had captured 15 checkpoints and had taken several Pakistani soldiers prisoner, and had also caused many injuries. These statements were put on the spokesmen’s social accounts, but Pakistan has not checked the claims on its own.
Pakistani people in authority have given different accounts, saying Afghan forces opened fire first on places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and that Pakistani soldiers replied after hours of fighting. Both sides said people had been injured, but the exact numbers are still argued about and are not sure.
Weapons, Tactics, and Size of Operations
Taliban statements said special groups with laser-guided systems had made their positions stronger, and that the operations would go on into the night. Saying there were accurate systems shows planning and a degree of technical skill which isn’t usually linked to small fights on the border.
The fact that certain areas – Mashin Naw, Dora Baba, Anargi, and Doklam – were especially looked at, suggests the operations were aimed at fixed places rather than patrols which moved about. People who watch events note that attacks on many positions at the same time would need help with supplies and command arrangements which had been decided on before.
Pakistan’s Answer and Border Fighting
Pakistani people in charge said they had acted after what they called attacks without cause by Afghan forces, and described attacks in return to keep border places safe. They said there had been more than two hours of fighting in some areas before the situation was put under control.
This exchange follows a pattern of “you do one, I do one” events along the 2,600-kilometre border. A very weak agreement to stop fighting has been tested many times in recent months, and what is happening now is one of the biggest increases in fighting along the Durand Line in that time.
People Hurt and Earlier Air Attacks
Feelings of anger rose after Pakistani air operations in east Afghanistan which Kabul said killed many people who weren’t fighting, including women and children. Stories from local people in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces said whole families were among those who died, while Pakistan described the attacks as aimed at places where fighters were hiding.
The people who weren’t fighting being hurt has made people in the areas where it happened very angry, and supports the Taliban government’s reason for attacking in return. Independent checking of the numbers of civilians who died is limited, and groups which help people warn that fighting across the border risks making things worse for people who are easily hurt.
What Might Happen in the Area and Risks Ahead
People who study events warn that the fighting could stop trade routes, make people leave their homes, and make security in the area more difficult. The basic argument about places where fighters are hidden has for a long time made relations bad, and new fighting makes the chance of a wider fight bigger.
Channels of talk between countries have not made a formal answer, and both sides will get pressure from the world to not make things get worse. For the time being, things are changing, with claims and answers to claims making up what is said, while the true cost in people and the military is still coming out.
