ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: At least 23 Pakistani soldiers and over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed in intense overnight clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Pakistani Army said on Sunday, as tensions escalated between the two neighbours amid mutual accusations of cross-border aggression.
The statement comes amid Pakistan seizing 19 Afghan military posts and “terrorist hideouts” in response to what it termed “unprovoked” attacks by Afghan forces in the border areas, while Kabul claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others injured during the retaliatory operations.
The army in a statement said that on the intervening night of October 11-12, Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) “launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan, along the Pak-Afghan border”.
It said the “cowardly action”, involving cross-border fire and a few physical raids, was aimed at destabilising the frontier areas to facilitate terrorism, furthering the “nefarious designs” of the terrorists.
Pakistani troops “repelled the assault decisively all along the border and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban Forces and affiliated Khwarjis (TTP terrorists),” the statement said, adding that the security forces carried out precision strikes and physical raids on Taliban camps, posts, and terrorist training facilities inside Afghan territory.
During the overnight skirmishes, 23 Pakistani soldiers died and 29 others were injured, while more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were neutralised, with 21 hostile positions on the Afghan side “briefly physically captured” and multiple terrorist training camps were rendered inoperative.
The Pakistani Army maintained that its forces took “all possible measures” to avoid civilian casualties, while vowing to continue defending the country’s sovereignty.
The statement warned that while Pakistan preferred constructive diplomacy and dialogue over violence and belligerence, “we will not tolerate the treacherous use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan”.
It said that Pakistan will continue to exercise its right to defend its people by persistently neutralising terror targets, and urged the Taliban government to “take immediate and verifiable action” against the terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil.
The statement noted that the “serious provocation” came during the visit of the Taliban Foreign Minister to India.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later said there would be “no compromise” on Pakistan’s sovereignty, praising the army’s “befitting” response that destroyed “several” Afghan posts overnight.
Zardari urged the Taliban government to take concrete and verifiable action against anti-Pakistan terrorist elements operating from Afghan soil.
Sharif lauded the Pakistan Army’s professional prowess and decisive action under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, warning that “every provocation will be given a befitting and effective response”.
The Taliban-led Afghanistan government’s Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks early Sunday, saying that its forces had conducted “retaliatory and successful operations”.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” the ministry said.
Afghan forces targeted Pakistani posts at Angoor Adda, Bajaur, Kurram, Dir, and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baramcha in Balochistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, said that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 others wounded during the operations Saturday night, Tolo News reported.
He said that nine Afghan soldiers were killed and 16 others were wounded in the operations, according to the report. The spokesperson said that the operation was halted at midnight following requests from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The situation deteriorated between the two neighbours following repeated terrorist attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), allegedly using the Afghan soil, including one in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district last week, which claimed the lives of 11 military personnel, including a Lt Colonel and a Major.With Agency Inputs