Oct 12 \u2013 The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.<\/p>\n
A Taliban spokesman said 58 Pakistan military personnel had been killed in what it called \u201can act of retaliation\u201d. It claimed Pakistan had violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has disputed that figure, saying 23 of its armed forces\u2019 members had died and claiming that \u201c200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the Afghan attacks were \u201cunprovoked\u201d and civilians were fired at, warning that his country\u2019s forces would respond \u201cwith a stone for every brick\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has closed border crossings with Afghanistan<\/p>\n
Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring terrorists who target Pakistan on its soil, a claim the Taliban government rejected.<\/p>\n
Both the Afghan and Pakistani sides are said to have used small arms and artillery in the Kunar-Kurram region, the BBC understands.<\/p>\n
At a press conference on Sunday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in addition to the 58 Pakistani military deaths, around 30 others had been wounded.<\/p>\n
He added that nine Taliban fighters had died and between 16 and 18 people had been injured.<\/p>\n
Pakistan Armed Forces said 29 of its soldiers had been injured, and the number of wounded Taliban and \u201caffiliated\u201d fighters was in the hundreds.<\/p>\n
Afghan\u2019s foreign minister said in a press conference in New Delhi that \u201cwe have no problems\u201d with Pakistan\u2019s people and its leadership but added \u201cthere are some groups in Pakistan that are trying to spoil the situation. Afghanistan has a right to keep its territory and its borders safe, and so it has retaliated to the violation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s interior minister said he \u201cstrongly condemns\u201d the Taliban\u2019s attacks: \u201cThe firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfghanistan is playing a game of fire and blood,\u201d he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n
The two main crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan \u2013 Torkham in the north and Chaman in the south \u2013 have been closed, leaving hundreds of trucks carrying goods stranded on both sides.<\/p>\n
A Pakistani military spokesman said they would take necessary measures to safeguard Pakistani lives and properties.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s military has not officially commented, but a security source speaking to the BBC claimed that firing took place at several locations along the Pakistani-Afghan border, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, Chitral and Baramcha.<\/p>\n
A police official stationed near the Zero Point in Kurram district told the BBC that heavy weapons fire began from the Afghan side around 22:00 local time (17:00 GMT).<\/p>\n
He said they had received reports of intense gunfire from multiple locations along the border.<\/p>\n
Last week, Afghanistan\u2019s\u00a0Taliban government accused Pakistan of violating Kabul\u2019s \u201csovereign territory\u201d<\/a>, as two loud blasts were heard in the city late on Thursday.<\/p>\n Pakistan bombed a civilian market in the border province of Paktika, in Afghanistan\u2019s south-east, the Taliban Defence Ministry said on Friday. Locals there told the BBC\u2019s Afghan service that a number of shops had been destroyed.<\/p>\n A top Pakistani general alleged Afghanistan was being used as a \u201cbase of operation for terrorism against Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban of permitting the Pakistan Taliban, known as the TTP, to operate from their land and fight against the Islamabad government in a bid to enforce a strict Islamic-led system of governance.<\/p>\n The Afghan Taliban government has always denied this.<\/p>\n