By Mark Tanos
Afghanistan claimed Sunday it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers during overnight border operations after accusing Pakistan of repeated territorial violations.
The Taliban government said Afghan forces captured 25 Pakistani army posts and wounded 30 soldiers in what it called “retaliatory and successful operations,” Politico reported. Pakistan disputed the casualty count, reporting 23 troops died in the clashes.
“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul.
The fighting follows Afghan accusations that Pakistan bombed Kabul and an eastern market earlier this week. Pakistan has not claimed responsibility for those attacks. (RELATED: BRIG. GEN. JOHN TEICHERT: Accountability For America’s Afghanistan Catastrophe)
Both main trade crossings between the countries remained closed Sunday, the outlet reported. The Torkham crossing failed to open at 8 a.m. as scheduled, while authorities turned away people at the Chaman crossing, including Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan.
Pakistan’s military said it destroyed several Afghan posts after what Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called provocations. The Pakistani army claimed more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists have been neutralized.”
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, currently visiting India, warned that while Afghanistan wants peace, it reserves the right to protect itself.
“We want a peaceful resolution of the situation, but if the peace efforts don’t succeed, we have other options,” Muttaqi said. Saudi Arabia and Qatar called for restraint and dialogue to prevent escalation.
The border tensions come as Pakistan faces rising militancy in areas near Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militants who launch attacks inside Pakistani territory, which are charges that Afghanistan denies.
