Taliban claims 58 Pakistani soldiers killed in retaliatory strike

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also alleged that Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province hosts training centers for the Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed on Sunday that Islamic Emirate forces carried out retaliatory operations against Pakistani security forces along the disputed Durand Line, resulting in significant casualties, according to Afghanistan-based TOLOnews.

Mujahid claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during the operations. He added that several weapons were temporarily seized and 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed. On the Afghan side, nine soldiers were killed and 16 others wounded. The operations, he said, were halted at midnight following requests from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Mujahid also alleged that Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province hosts training centers for the Islamic State affiliate ISIS-K. “Our findings indicate that attacks in Iran and Moscow were orchestrated from these centers. Recent strikes in Afghanistan were also planned from these bases,” he said, calling on the Pakistani government to hand over key ISIS-K members to the Islamic Emirate.

The Taliban spokesperson also noted that Pakistan had sought to send a delegation to Kabul, but the Islamic Emirate rejected the proposal in response to Pakistani airstrikes conducted on Thursday night.

Mujahid warned that any violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty would not go unanswered, reiterating the Taliban’s stance on defending its territory along the border.