Border Tensions: Pakistan Fence Sparks Afghan Territory Claims, Taliban Deny Incursion

DID Press: Recent social media posts and satellite imagery suggest that Pakistani border forces have extended fencing roughly 12 kilometers into Afghanistan, enclosing an area of approximately 32 square kilometers in Paktika province. The fenced zone, shaped like an “L,” appears to have been constructed between March 10–13, in some locations reaching 13.5 kilometers inside Afghan territory.

However, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense has dismissed these reports as “media propaganda.” Deputy Chief of Staff Mali Khan Sadiq posted a video from Terey district, Paktika, asserting that “no incursion has taken place” and that all border areas remain under Taliban control.

The dispute highlights the longstanding Durand Line controversy, a legacy of British colonial borders, which continues to be a highly sensitive issue between Kabul and Islamabad. The discrepancy between satellite evidence and official Taliban statements underscores growing public concern and the potential for renewed tension along the border.