Kabul, March 6 (IANS) Afghan authorities have said that Taliban forces killed 30 Pakistani soldiers during clashes erupted along the Durand Line border, local media reported on Friday, citing a defence ministry spokesperson.
Taliban defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said the fighting took place in Shorabak district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, where Taliban fighters allegedly captured a Pakistani military outpost, Pakistan's leading news agency Khaama Press reported.
He said Taliban forces destroyed the outpost with explosives after Taliban forces captured the post during the clashes.
Khwarazmi claimed that 30 Pakistani soldiers were killed during the fighting, including 20 who were deployed for reinforcing the outpost. He stated that Taliban fighters captured five Pakistani military posts in the Dand Patan area of Paktia and entered posts Top Sar Khwuch Karam and Anzerki Sar, Khaama Press reported.
Pakistani authorities have not yet released statement confirming Taliban's claim about death of their soldiers.
The ongoing confrontation underscores the deepening instability along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where clashes and casualty claims continue to strain ties between two nations.
On March 3, Afghan authorities said that its forces carried out retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military bases following recent air raids by the Pakistan Air Force inside Afghanistan.
The Afghan defence ministry said its forces targeted several key military locations near Pakistan-Afghanistan border, including areas linked to Kabul, the Ali-Sher district in Khost, Jalalabad and Kandahar.
According to Afghan officials, their forces have captured multiple Pakistani military posts in Kandahar province, specifically in the Spin Boldak and Shorabak districts.
Three posts were reportedly seized in Spin Boldak, resulting in the deaths of three Pakistani soldiers and the capture of one serviceman. In addition, two Pakistani posts were taken over in the Ali-Sher district, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.
The current round of hostilities began when Taliban-led Afghan forces launched retaliatory operations against Pakistani military installations on February 27, following Pakistan's actions targeting militants inside Afghan territory on February 21. Following Afghanistan's attacks, Pakistan launched 'Operation Ghazab lil-Haq' (Righteous Fury) in response to what it described as "unprovoked firing" by the Afghan forces across multiple border sectors.
--IANS
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