A Pakistani paramilitary soldier was killed, and seven others were injured during cross-border clashes with Afghan forces, officials said on Saturday, as hundreds of Afghans protested against air strikes allegedly carried out by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Paktika province earlier this week.
Sporadic fighting, involving heavy weaponry, erupted overnight along the border between Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Afghanistan’s Khost province. Officials from both sides confirmed the exchanges of fire, news agency AFP reported.
The clashes follow accusations from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities that Pakistan’s air strikes killed 46 people, mainly women and children. Pakistan has not officially confirmed the strikes but a senior security source told AFP that they targeted “terrorist hideouts.”
“One Frontier Corps (FC) soldier has been reported dead, and seven others have been injured,” a senior Pakistani security official told AFP, adding that the skirmishes occurred in at least two locations in the Kurram district.
The Afghan Ministry of Defence stated on X (formerly Twitter) that retaliatory strikes targeted “several points” across the border believed to have organised attacks in Afghanistan.
A provincial official from Khost confirmed that residents near the border were forced to flee due to the clashes, though there were no reported casualties among Afghan forces, AFP’s report stated.
Protests In Afghanistan Over Air Strikes
In Khost city, hundreds of Afghans took to the streets, demanding accountability for civilian deaths caused by the strikes. Protester Najibullah Zaland said, “We gathered here today to raise our voices to the world… A path to peace must be put in place, or else the youth will not stay silent”, AFP reported.
The demonstrators expressed support for Afghan forces, with Rashidullah Hamdard saying, “Our fighters gave them a strong response, and we stand with our forces. We demand the world hold the Pakistani military accountable for these cruel and foolish attacks.”
Tensions between the two nations have grown since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who are blamed for attacks within Pakistan. The Taliban government denies these allegations.
The latest escalation follows a TTP raid on a Pakistani army outpost near the border last week, which reportedly killed 16 soldiers. Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, addressing his cabinet on Friday, said, “We desire good ties with them (Kabul) but TTP should be stopped from killing our innocent people. This is our red line.”
The United Nations has called for an investigation into the reported civilian deaths. UNICEF’s regional director, Sanjay Wijesekera, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of children, stating, “Children are not and must never be a target.”
Since the Taliban’s takeover, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in its western border regions. This year alone, Pakistan’s military has reported 383 soldiers and 925 militants killed in various clashes.
