Taliban Launched Retaliatory Attack on Pakistan after Cross-Border Airstrikes

DID Press: Taliban forces have launched a large-scale attack on Pakistani border outposts under the direct orders of the group’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, following Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan territory in Khost and Paktika provinces. The assault marks one of the most dangerous escalations in tensions between Kabul and Islamabad since the Taliban’s return to power.

Sources close to the Taliban government in Kabul confirmed that the latest operation along the eastern border was carried out as retaliation for Pakistan’s recent air raids, based on explicit instructions from the Taliban leader.

Following the bombings in Khost and Paktika by Pakistani warplanes, Acting Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid reportedly declared, “Enough is enough,” ordering Taliban special units — equipped with night-vision rifles, sniper teams, and domestically made suicide drones — to target Pakistani military positions.

According to local sources, the Taliban attack caught Pakistani forces by surprise and inflicted heavy casualties. Taliban fighters later withdrew from the area to avoid potential retaliatory strikes. Although Pakistan responded with immediate air bombardments, Taliban losses were reported to be limited due to prior evacuation.

Official and unofficial reports of casualties remain sharply contradictory. Pakistan’s military said 23 of its soldiers were killed and 29 were wounded, while claiming more than 200 Taliban fighters were killed in its counterstrikes. The Taliban, however, asserted they had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers while losing only nine of their own fighters.

The escalating hostilities come amid ongoing accusations from Islamabad that the Taliban are harboring members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Taliban deny the allegation, instead accusing Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty through repeated air and border attacks.