ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday strongly condemned the recent Afghan Taliban provocations along Pak-Afghan Border in Balochistan, pledging that Pakistan’s integrity and sovereignty will be protected at all costs.
The premier praised the Pakistan Army and security forces for their prompt and strong response to an assault in Spin Boldak of Balochistan and Kurram sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Shehbaz Shairf said the armed forces had given a “befitting reply” to the fighters of the Afghan Taliban and allied Fitna al Khawarij terrorists following their unprovoked aggression.
“The use of Afghan soil for terrorism inside Pakistan is unacceptable and condemnable,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that Islamabad would continue to defend itself against cross-border militant threats.
According to the Pakistan Army media affairs wing, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) the Afghan Taliban launched coordinated attacks early Wednesday at four different locations in the Spin Boldak area of Balochistan. Pakistani security forces successfully repelled these attacks, killing between 15 to 20 militants and injuring several others.
Taliban fighters also destroyed the Pak-Afghan Friendship Gate on their side, reflecting “their disregard for cross-border trade and tribal rights,” it added.
The ISPR added that the incident was not isolated. “On the night between October 14 and 15, Afghan Taliban fighters, joined by the extremist group Fitna al Khawarij, attempted to attack Pakistani border posts in the Kurram sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The attacks were forcefully countered, leading to heavy losses on the Afghan side.
Eight enemy posts and six tanks were reportedly destroyed, while around 25 to 30 militants were killed in Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes. In total, approximately 50 militants from both groups lost their lives over the past two days of fighting.
During the counter-operation, Pakistani forces killed 15–20 Taliban fighters and injured many more. The DG ISPR warned that the situation remains fluid, noting reports of additional militant build-ups at staging points in the region.
The spokesperson emphasisd that these assaults were not isolated. On the night of 14–15 October, Afghan Taliban and Fitna Al Khawarij militants attempted to attack Pakistani border posts in the Kurram Sector of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but Pakistani troops in a retaliatory strikes had also destroyed eight frontline posts and six tanks of the Afghan Taliban in the Kurram tribal district on the Afghan border. According to the ISPR, 30 to 40 Afghan Taliban fighters and memebrs of the Fitna al Khawarij were also killed in the heavy retaliatory assaults against Afghan Taliban positions.
Security sources report that five Afghan Taliban frontline posts have been erased in the operation. Facing the assault, Taliban fighters and their insurgent allies were seen retreating from their positions, leaving their injured and dead on the battlefield.
Thermal drone footage released by the Pak Army purportedly shows the aftermath of the strikes, with Taliban artillery positions destroyed and their fighters in flight.
