Kabul [Afghanistan], October 15 (ANI): At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 100 were injured after Pakistani forces launched an attack in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, according to an Afghan official. The incident has triggered heavy cross-border fighting, with Afghan forces claiming to have launched retaliatory strikes and seized multiple Pakistani military positions.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, accused Pakistani forces of opening fire with both light and heavy weapons, targeting civilian areas. “Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which more than 12 civilians were martyred and more than 100 were injured,” Mujahid said in a statement.
In response, Afghan forces launched operations targeting Pakistani military positions along the contested border zone. “In retaliatory operations, multiple Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed,” Mujahid stated. While the exact number of Pakistani casualties has not been independently verified, Afghan officials claimed heavy damage to Pakistani military assets.
Mujahid added, “At 8 o’clock, the battle was brought back under our control, but the mujahideen, with high morale, are ready to defend their homeland, sanctity, and people.” The Spin Boldak border crossing, a strategic and historically tense area, has seen repeated flare-ups in the past.
Later Tuesday night, clashes reportedly reignited along the border in Pakistan’s Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. State broadcaster PTV News reported, “Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij opened unprovoked fire in Kurram. Pakistani Army responded with full force and intensity,” citing security sources on X. Fitna al-Khawarij is used by the state to refer to militants associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
PTV added that Taliban posts suffered heavy damage, with one tank catching fire after being hit, forcing fighters to flee. Another post and tank position of the Afghan Taliban were destroyed in the Kurram sector, and a fourth tank position at the Shamsadar post was also reported destroyed. “There are reports of the killing of an important commander of Fitna al-Khawarij in this important operation of the Pakistan Army,” the broadcaster said. (ANI)
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