• Heavy losses inflicted on Afghan forces, Fitna Al-Khawarij militants.
• Taliban fighters flee, leaving behind bodies, posts after retaliation.
• Cross-border aggression comes as Afghan FM Muttaqi visits India.

ISLAMABAD: Afghan forces resorted to unprovoked firing at multiple locations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, prompting a strong and immediate response from the Pakistan Army, security sources said on Saturday.

Sources told Geo News that Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire at several border points, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, and Kurram, while similar incidents of aggression were also reported in Dir, Chitral, and Baramcha.

The Afghan forces’ firing was aimed at helping Khawarij formations cross the border into Pakistan, according to security sources.

They confirmed that Pakistan Army’s alert border posts responded with full force, engaging the attacking positions effectively.

Pakistan’s forces targeted multiple Afghan posts, destroying several of them and inflicting heavy losses on Afghan troops and Fitna Al-Khawarij, the sources added.

The officials further said that Taliban fighters abandoned several bodies and posts before fleeing the area following Pakistan’s powerful counteraction. Dozens of Afghan soldiers and “Khawarij” were killed in retaliatory fire, said the sources.

Sources said that the Pakistani forces effectively dispersed militant formations inside Afghanistan after targeting multiple positions sheltering ISIS and Fitna Al-Khawarij elements.

They added that Afghan fighting posts completely failed to provide cover fire to these Indian-backed militant groups during the exchange and, as a result, suffered heavy losses.

Artillery, tanks, drones taking part in operation

The Pakistan Army used artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons in its response, while air assets and drones were also deployed to strike militant hideouts.

The operation targeted ISIS and Khawarij sanctuaries, including Afghan command centres harbouring these militants, the sources said, confirming that terrorist positions and hideouts were also struck inside Afghanistan.

They noted that Afghanistan’s aggression coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, calling it a “notable and concerning development.”

Islamabad and Kabul are witnessing heightened tensions amid the interim government’s reluctance to act against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, in the backdrop of rising terror attacks in Pakistan.

The country has witnessed a surge in cross-border terror incidents since Taliban rulers returned to Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan.

The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points, which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the border.

However, the issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan, which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory.

Islamabad’s reservations have also been confirmed by a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which has revealed a nexus between Kabul and the TTP, with the former providing logistical, operational, and financial support to the latter.

Pakistan has hosted Afghans for more than four decades, from the Soviet invasion through the Taliban takeover in 2021. Some refugees were born and raised in Pakistan; others are still waiting for third-country relocation.

According to media reports, following a 2023 crackdown on undocumented Afghans and those exceeding legal status, more than 554,000 Afghans have been returned since April 2025 under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan — including around 145,000 in August.

According to security sources, masterminds and facilitators of terrorism are based in Afghanistan and are being supported by India.

‘Seal the border’

A day earlier, Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan had engaged Afghanistan through multiple channels, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, before and after the Doha Agreement.

“Yet the space given to non-state actors in Afghanistan is not only against Pakistan’s interests but also dangerous for Afghanistan itself,” he said.

He urged the Afghan government to “seal the border” and prevent its territory from being used for attacks on Pakistan.

The DG ISPR noted India was using Afghan soil as a base of operations against Pakistan, with evidence of Indian proxies conducting terror attacks from Afghan territory.

He added that following the US withdrawal, a large cache of American weapons was left behind, much of which ended up in the hands of terrorist groups.

“Afghanistan must ensure that its soil is not used by non-state actors. Pakistan has provided concrete evidence of such activities to the Afghan authorities,” he said.