Large-scale fighting broke out on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on October 11. The Afghan Taliban launched a coordinated offensive against Pakistani troops in many areas.
Points of attention
- The Taliban launched a coordinated offensive against Pakistani troops along the border, using captured American equipment, artillery, mortars, and drones.
- The large-scale attack poses a major threat to the stability of the region, with significant artillery fire exchanged and casualties reported on both sides.
- This escalation comes at a critical time as the United States negotiates a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, with implications for the control of key strategic locations like the Bagram Air Base.
Taliban launches offensive on Pakistan
Taliban units attacked posts and infrastructure of the Pakistan Frontier Corps along the so-called Durand Line, a border strip drawn during the British rule in Hindustan.
In the Dangam and Birkot border sectors, numerous artillery attacks on Pakistani positions and advances by Taliban units were recorded.
Shelling and drone attacks from both sides were also recorded in the provinces of Helmand, Paktia, Kunar, Nangarhar, and Khost. Pakistani posts and checkpoints in Kurram, Bajaur, and North Waziristan came under fire.
The so-called "201st Army Corps" of the Taliban military units claimed responsibility for the attack. This is the first time the Taliban has officially acknowledged an attack on Pakistan. The Taliban themselves say the attack is an alleged response to "violations of sovereignty" of Afghanistan by the Pakistani military.
Small arms fire has escalated into artillery fire from both sides. Taliban fighters are moving around on captured American equipment that they captured from the Afghan government army in 2021. They are making extensive use of artillery, mortars, and drones.
Overall, the escalation has already been called the largest since 2021, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces.
At least two Pakistani soldiers and one civilian were killed in the shelling, and up to ten soldiers and civilians were injured. The Taliban also suffered casualties, but the Taliban does not acknowledge them.
The conflict began as the United States is negotiating a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to US President Donald Trump, Washington wants to regain the Bagram Air Base, which is important in the region.
Commenting on the US statements, a Taliban Foreign Ministry official, Zakir Jalal, said that the movement would not allow Washington to regain control over a key airbase in Afghanistan.
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