ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI (MNN); Pakistan on Friday rejected as “fake and fabricated” a claim by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence that a Pakistani security post near the Spin Boldak crossing had been destroyed, saying an attempted cross-border aggression in the Gulistan sector was instead thwarted.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the Afghan claim that no Afghan personnel had suffered casualties during the latest border confrontation was also incorrect. According to the ministry, at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel were killed and several others injured during the exchange and Pakistan’s subsequent response.
The ministry said the incident occurred during the night between September 24 and 25, when an attempted Afghan incursion in the Gulistan sector was repulsed. It also released visuals that it said showed the border engagement and Pakistan’s response.
The latest confrontation comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations and repeated security incidents along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan had earlier carried out precision aerial and drone strikes at multiple locations inside Afghanistan after drones launched from Afghan territory entered Pakistani airspace.
Pakistan has also conducted “calibrated” strikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan following a series of terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Islamabad maintains that militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are using Afghan territory to plan and support attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul has rejected such allegations and has repeatedly criticized Pakistani cross-border military action.
On September 21, Pakistan said its airstrikes against militant positions in Afghanistan had killed more than 28 terrorists. Afghan authorities and international sources, however, reported civilian casualties from some of the strikes, illustrating the conflicting accounts surrounding the escalating cross-border confrontation.
33 Terrorists Reportedly Killed in Balochistan
Meanwhile, security forces have killed 33 terrorists in a series of counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan since September 21, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The military’s media wing said the operations targeted militants described by the state as belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.
According to ISPR, five more militants were killed on September 24 during an operation in the Shaban area after security forces cleared additional terrorist hideouts following an intense exchange of fire. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered.
In a separate intelligence-based operation in Nushki district on September 25, security forces engaged a militant hideout and killed 11 terrorists, according to the ISPR statement. The military said clearance operations would continue until the threat in the area was eliminated.
The latest casualties bring the reported number of militants killed in the Balochistan operations since September 21 to 33. Earlier operations in Shaban, Kech and Quetta West had resulted in 19 reported militant deaths.
President Asif Ali Zardari commended the security forces for the operations and paid tribute to personnel involved in the campaign. He said the government would continue efforts against militant violence.
Rising Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have remained high as Pakistan continues to demand what it describes as concrete and verifiable action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar recently called for measures to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan.
Pakistan has also told the United Nations Security Council that it reserves the right to respond in self-defence to terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan, while the Foreign Office has said meaningful progress in bilateral relations depends on Kabul taking verifiable action against the TTP and other militant groups.
A UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report covering December 2025 to June 2026 said continued support and operational linkages involving militant groups in Afghanistan had contributed to the threat faced by Pakistan. The report also identified links among the TTP, Al Qaeda, Islamic State-Khorasan and the Balochistan-based Baloch Liberation Army.
The latest border clash and continuing counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan come as both countries face heightened security tensions and sharply conflicting accounts over cross-border attacks and military actions.
