Taliban Claims 15 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Border Clash

Kokcha News Agency – The Taliban’s media office for the 201 Khalid bin Walid Corps in eastern Afghanistan has released a statement claiming that 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 11 border checkpoints destroyed in last night’s clashes along the Durand Line. The statement also alleges that the Taliban have recovered the bodies of two Pakistani soldiers and a number of weapons.

Pakistani officials have yet to respond to these claims.

According to the Taliban’s statement, the attacks were carried out based on “precise intelligence” and were in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul and Paktia provinces.

Earlier, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense stated that they had successfully carried out a “retaliatory operation” targeting several Pakistani border checkpoints and military installations along the Durand Line, which concluded around midnight on October 10.

In response, the Pakistani military announced on Sunday morning that their forces had targeted 20 Taliban checkpoints in retaliation for the previous night’s attacks. The Pakistani military also claimed that a number of Taliban fighters had surrendered in the Khurm area.

Neither side has provided detailed casualty figures from the clashes.

Following the escalation, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced that the group would hold a “significant” press conference on Sunday at 11 AM.

These clashes come after Pakistani fighter jets bombed parts of Kabul and Paktia province on Thursday night, reportedly targeting Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). However, neither the Taliban nor Pakistani officials have confirmed the target of the airstrikes.