Smoke rose from an Afghan Taliban outpost after being struck by Pakistani forces on October 12, 2025. — Screengrab via Geo News
Afghan forces once again opened unprovoked fire across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, targeting several areas, prompting the Pakistan Army to launch a swift and powerful counterattack, security sources said on Tuesday.
According to the sources, Pakistani troops immediately responded by targeting the firing positions of the Afghan Taliban and militants of Fitna-e-Khawarij with heavy retaliatory fire.
The exchange caused major damage to multiple Taliban outposts, with flames seen rising from their positions, sources confirmed.
A Taliban tank was destroyed during the counter-fire, forcing the attackers to abandon their posts and flee, according to officials.
Security sources reaffirmed that Pakistan’s forces remain fully alert and capable of defending every inch of the nation’s borders against any act of aggression.
Meanwhile, the sources said the Pakistan Army destroyed another Afghan Taliban post and tank position in the Kurram sector. Taliban fighters reportedly fled, leaving several bodies behind.
In another operation, Pakistani forces targeted and destroyed a moving Afghan tank.
Sources further stated that within an hour, the army destroyed a fourth Taliban tank position at Shamshad Post. Militants associated with Fitna al-Khawarij and the Taliban fled their posts in panic amid the continued military assault.
An important commander of Fitna al-Khawarij was reportedly killed in the operation, according to security sources.
Several tank positions were also destroyed at the Nargsar post in Afghanistan’s Khost province, killing numerous Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij fighters. The post is now vacant after the strikes.
One Taliban post raised a white flag before its fighters abandoned it, security officials said.
The army also destroyed a sixth tank and its crew at Turkmanzai Top, with flames visible from the wreckage.
A militant training camp opposite the Polsen Post, linked to Kharji Malik Naeem, was completely destroyed during the operation, officials added.
Security officials said Pakistan’s military will continue to respond firmly to any cross-border aggression.
This marks the second recent incident of cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij. On the night of October 11, Afghan forces had carried out unprovoked attacks on several border areas, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, and Kurram, with similar incidents reported in Dir, Chitral, Baramcha, and other locations along the Durand Line.
Pakistani forces retaliated swiftly, targeting Taliban border posts and hideouts across multiple areas, destroying several positions and killing over 200 Afghan Taliban and allied militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
In a statement, the military’s media wing said Pakistan’s forces conducted “precision strikes and raids” against Taliban camps, terrorist training centers, and support networks operating from Afghan territory.
“Multiple Taliban locations were destroyed across the border; 21 enemy positions on the Afghan side were briefly captured, and several terrorist training camps used to plan attacks against Pakistan were rendered inoperative,” the ISPR said, adding that 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while defending the homeland.
Rising Border Tensions
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated due to the Afghan interim government’s failure to act against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil amid a surge in terror attacks in Pakistan.
Cross-border terrorism has increased since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
The two countries share a porous 2,500-kilometre border with several key crossing points vital for trade and people-to-people contact.
However, terrorism remains a major concern for Pakistan, which has repeatedly urged Afghanistan to stop groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from using its soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team has confirmed Islamabad’s concerns, revealing links between the Afghan Taliban and the TTP, with Kabul providing logistical and financial support to the group.
Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for over four decades, from the Soviet invasion to the Taliban’s return in 2021. Many Afghans were born and raised in Pakistan, while others await relocation to third countries.
Following Pakistan’s crackdown in 2023 on undocumented Afghans and overstayers, more than 554,000 Afghans have returned since April 2025 under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, including around 145,000 in August alone.
Security sources said masterminds and facilitators of terrorism are based in Afghanistan and receive support from India.
