After two days of sporadic gunfire, tensions at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan eased on Sunday, as both countries engaged in diplomatic talks to calm the situation, sources familiar with the matter said.
Although the gunfire stopped for now, the situation remains fragile. No new incidents were reported on Sunday after officials from both sides communicated and agreed to prevent further escalation.
On Thursday and Friday, there were intense clashes between Pakistani forces and Taliban fighters at various points along the border. While Pakistan did not comment on the situation, Afghanistan claimed it targeted positions across the border in retaliation for reported airstrikes in Paktika province on December 24. However, Pakistani sources dismissed these claims, stating that on the night of December 27-28, a group of 20-25 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters attempted to infiltrate Pakistan using Afghan Taliban posts. Pakistani forces responded quickly and prevented the breach.
In the early hours of December 28, insurgents tried again to infiltrate Pakistan via Afghan Taliban posts. After the attempt failed, both the insurgents and Afghan Taliban launched heavy fire on Pakistani positions on Saturday morning. Pakistan retaliated strongly, inflicting significant damage on the Afghan side. The retaliation forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon six border posts and withdraw. Pakistan reported no fatalities, with only three soldiers injured.
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Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan government not to let the TTP use Afghan territory to carry out attacks on Pakistan. Despite this, the Afghan Taliban have been accused of supporting the TTP, which continues to operate freely in Afghanistan, staging cross-border attacks.
In a positive development, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq’s visit to Kabul saw progress in diplomatic talks, with both sides agreeing to begin high-level exchanges, including ministerial visits in the coming months. However, after the recent spike in tensions, these exchanges have been delayed, though sources remain optimistic that the process will resume soon, as both sides have a vested interest in peace.
During the visit, Afghan Taliban leaders denied allowing the TTP to launch attacks into Pakistan. However, when presented with evidence showing that the TTP was using Afghan Taliban weapons, the Afghan officials could not provide a clear response. Pakistan made it clear that any cross-border terrorist attacks would be met with a strong retaliation, warning that if the Afghan Taliban could not control their territory, Pakistan would take action to prevent terrorists from using it.
