Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had previously stated that his nation was engaged in an “open war” with its western neighbor
Islamabad officials have alleged that Afghan forces have sustained close to 1,000 casualties during the most recent cross-border tensions with Pakistan.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that since Thursday, at least 415 Taliban fighters and affiliated militants have been killed, and over 580 injured, in airstrikes and clashes. He shared these figures in an X post on Saturday.
The minister further alleged that 182 Afghan checkpoints have been destroyed, along with 185 tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces, as airstrikes targeted 46 locations across the country.
Kabul has not commented on the figures cited by Tarar. Afghan government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat asserted on Saturday that three days of border clashes resulted in 78 fatalities—including 12 Pakistani soldiers and one civilian, plus 13 Afghan soldiers and 52 Afghan civilians, most of whom were women and children. He stated in separate X posts that casualties were reported in Paktika, Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, and Kandahar provinces.
The casualty numbers from both sides have not been independently verified.
Pakistan carried out heavy artillery fire and airstrikes against its western neighbor early Friday, in retaliation for Afghan Taliban forces attacking Pakistani border positions the previous day and killing two soldiers.
Kabul characterized the cross-border attacks as “retaliatory operations” following Pakistani airstrikes last Sunday. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif subsequently termed the escalation an “open war,” accusing the Afghan Taliban government of “exporting terrorism.”
Relations between the two neighboring countries have steadily deteriorated since the Taliban regained power in 2021 after the US withdrawal. Since March 2024, border clashes have grown increasingly frequent, peaking in October 2025 when the Pakistani army seized 19 Afghan border posts during skirmishes with Taliban forces.
In recent months, ties have worsened further as Pakistan accuses militants of operating from Afghan territory with the Taliban government’s backing—a claim Kabul denies. Pakistan has also alleged that Afghanistan is expanding military and political ties with India at Islamabad’s expense, while Kabul maintains it has the right to develop relations with any country.