Kabul launches retaliatory attacks, Taliban claim 55 Pak soldiers killed

Afghanistan attacked Pakistani military positions along the border late on Thursday in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes and killed at least 55 Pakistani soldiers, seized 23 bodies, and captured dozens of light and heavy weapons. According to Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of Afghanistan, along the hypothetical Durand Line, one headquarter and 19 checkposts of Pakistan’s military regime have so far been captured by Afghan forces in various provinces. Afghan forces conducted coordinated counterattacks in eastern and southeastern sectors across the Durand Line near Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan provinces,the Taliban said. Spokesperson of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid on Friday morning said that operations have also begun in Kandahar and Helmand along the hypothetical Durand Line against security posts of Pakistan’s military regime.
Afghan forces opened fire on posts in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, sparking more than two hours of fighting before Pakistani troops retaliated, Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. The clashes along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) are the latest flare-up to threaten a fragile ceasefire following deadly clashes in October.
Explosions and the sound of aircraft were heard in Kabul early Friday, hours after the Taliban said its forces had captured military bases and posts along the disputed Durand Line. Pakistan disputed the figures and said it had inflicted heavy casualties on Afghan fighters. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of targeting areas in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.In a detailed press release, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense said the operation began at 8:00 PM on February 26, corresponding to the 9th of Ramadan 1447, following what it described as a Pakistani violation of Afghan territory that killed women and children.
Pakistan strongly rejected the Afghan figures. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers had been killed and three wounded, while 36 Afghan fighters were reported dead. In a post on X, he said Pakistan was giving a “strong and effective response” to what he described as unprovoked firing and would continue to defend its territorial integrity.Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured. Pakistan’s statements sharply contradict the Taliban’s claim that dozens of Pakistani soldiers were killed and bases captured.
Islamabad says TTP leaders operate from Afghan territory and use it as a safe haven to plan attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.Pakistan said it was boosting security nationwide this week, placing forces on “high alert” and accelerating intelligence-based operations, arresting dozens of suspected militants, their handlers and facilitators, including Afghan nationals.