Pakistan closes border with Afghanistan as Taliban claims 58 soldiers killed in major attack
58 Pakistani troops killed in clashes along border
- Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire across their shared border, leading to casualties and the closure of multiple border crossings.
- Afghanistan's de facto Taliban rulers stated their forces launched "retaliatory" attacks following Pakistan's alleged violations of Afghan airspace and bombings in Kabul and a border market.
- Pakistan described the Afghan actions as an "unprovoked attack" and responded with gun and artillery fire, with its Interior Minister promising a "befitting reply like India".
- Afghan officials claimed their forces captured 25 Pakistani Army posts, killed 58 soldiers, and wounded 30, while Pakistan asserted its army destroyed several Afghan military posts.
- The border clashes coincided with Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to India, a development likely to heighten tensions with Pakistan.