Pakistan Army hits Taliban posts after border firing

Pakistan Army hits Taliban posts after border firing

The Pakistan Army responded to what security sources described as unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kurram and Ghozgarhi sectors, reportedly killing several Taliban personnel, state media reported on Saturday.

According to security sources, Pakistani forces targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Topsar post and Shipola base camp in the Upper Kurram sector with artillery fire. The sources claimed that the Shipola base camp was destroyed during the retaliatory action.

Several Afghan Taliban personnel were also reportedly killed during an exchange of fire along the Ghozgarhi border. Security sources said Taliban personnel abandoned a border post following the Pakistani response, while firing continued in the area.

In a separate incident along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Kurram sector, the Afghan Taliban allegedly opened fire again, prompting Pakistani forces to respond with heavy weapons.

Security sources further alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime was providing assistance to militants. They claimed that Pakistani forces destroyed several Taliban positions during the subsequent response, forcing personnel to leave their posts.

The security sources said the Pakistan Army remained on alert and committed to protecting the country’s borders and safeguarding national security.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan remains a contentious issue amid persistent security concerns.

On Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad remained open to dialogue with Kabul but stressed that talks could not proceed without conditions. He rejected suggestions that Pakistan was unwilling to engage with its neighbour.

“Pakistan is not shying away from discussions or dialogue, including with representatives of Afghanistan,” Khan said during the Foreign Office’s weekly media briefing.

He added that Pakistan would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to address its security concerns and promote regional peace and stability.

The statement followed Russia’s renewed expression of willingness to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, Khan said Islamabad was not aware of any separate, formal Russian mediation initiative under discussion at the time.

Relations between the two neighbours have remained strained in recent years, with Pakistan repeatedly raising concerns about cross-border militancy and the alleged presence of armed groups operating from Afghan territory.