Tensions on the Afghan-Pakistani border escalate; Several Pakistani posts fell to the Taliban.
Local sources say heavy clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards took place in eight border provinces of Afghanistan on Saturday night.
According to sources, fighting is ongoing in Helmand, Kandahar, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, Nangarhar and Zabul provinces, with different reports of casualties on both sides.
Sources close to the Taliban told the media that the attacks were carried out on the orders of Maulvi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, who personally led the operation.
Taliban forces have also reportedly attacked Pakistani forces from the border areas of Shamalzo in Zabul and Maruf and Shorabak districts in Kandahar. As a result of the clashes, two Pakistani military posts were captured and a number of Pakistani soldiers were killed.
Some Pakistani media have also confirmed the casualties of their troops along the border.
A source in Bahramcha district of Helmand province said that Taliban forces targeted a Pakistani border post with heavy weapons and completely destroyed it. Six Pakistani soldiers were killed in the attack.
According to the source, some of Pakistan’s military equipment, including tanks, remained at the battlefield.
The recent clashes have intensified as relations between Kabul and Islamabad have been strained in recent weeks over Pakistani officials’ harsh remarks against the Taliban.
