Taliban, Pakistani forces clash near Paktia, local sources say
Taliban forces and Pakistani troops exchanged fire for nearly five hours along the border in Paktia province on Tuesday evening, damaging several homes and prompting some residents to flee, four local sources told Amu TV on Wednesday.
The clashes occurred in border areas of Zazi Aryub district and began at about 5 p.m. local time, according to the sources, most of whom are local residents.
It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties. Neither Taliban authorities nor Pakistani officials have publicly commented on the clashes.
The fighting came two days after Pakistani airstrikes hit Kunar and Paktika provinces, marking another escalation in already strained relations between the Taliban and Pakistan. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said at least three civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed and four others wounded in apparent airstrikes in Kunar early Monday.
Pakistan said its air operations targeted militant hideouts and camps in the border region and killed 28 people it described as militants, including suicide bombers. Taliban authorities have rejected Pakistan’s accusations that militant attacks inside Pakistan originate from Afghan territory.
India on Tuesday condemned the Pakistani airstrikes, describing them as an act of aggression and saying they threatened regional peace and security. New Delhi also reiterated its support for Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Such incidents constitute aggression against an independent and sovereign neighbor and are inimical to regional peace and security,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, according to the statement provided to Amu TV. “We reiterate our strong and steadfast support for Afghanistan and support its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the well-being of the Afghan people.”
The latest developments come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Islamabad and the Taliban. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and other militant groups to operate from Afghanistan. Taliban authorities deny the accusations.
Shah Sultan Akifi, a former Afghan diplomat, warned that Afghanistan could again become an arena for regional proxy conflicts.
“Unfortunately, there is a risk that future proxy wars could be organized on Afghan soil, whether by India or Pakistan,” Akifi told Amu TV. “If Afghanistan’s current rulers do not act wisely, this problem will be harmful to Afghanistan.”
The latest Pakistani airstrikes were the first publicly reported attacks of their kind inside Afghanistan in nearly three months. UNAMA has said cross-border armed violence has caused more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan so far this year.