Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed as Islamabad, Kabul trade accusations

Afghan Taliban authorities said their forces killed 28 fighters in Nuristan province who had crossed from Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of recruiting former Afghan security personnel and supporting ISIL militants. Pakistan rejected the claims as baseless and urged the Taliban to act against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory. Tensions have escalated after recent Pakistani cross-border air strikes and exchanges of accusations between the two governments.

By AI Newsroom· Reviewed by Pranav, Founder & Editor-in-ChiefPublished 1 minute agoUpdated 1 minute ago0 views

Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed as Islamabad, Kabul trade accusations

Why It Matters

The dispute highlights growing security and diplomatic friction between Kabul and Islamabad, with both sides accusing the other of enabling cross-border attacks — a dynamic that has already led to air strikes and civilian casualties. Continued escalation risks further violence and regional instability along the porous Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

Key Facts

Date/location of clash reported: Nuristan province, eastern Afghanistan (reported Sunday)
Casualties claimed by Afghan defence ministry: 28 fighters killed
Allegations by Afghan defence ministry: Most fighters were former Afghan government security personnel recruited by Pakistan’s intelligence services; included ISIL fighters supported by Pakistani militias
Pakistan response: Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting called the allegations 'frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth' and denied involvement
Pakistan’s demand: Pakistan urged the Taliban to take credible, verifiable action against terrorist organisations operating from Afghan territory and to prevent Afghan soil being used for attacks against Pakistan or other countries

Afghanistan’s Taliban-run defence ministry said its forces engaged and killed 28 fighters in the eastern Nuristan province after the group crossed the border from Pakistan. In a statement posted to X, the ministry alleged most of the fighters were former personnel from Afghanistan’s previous government who had been recruited by Pakistan’s intelligence services with promises of asylum and well-paid work abroad. The statement also accused Pakistani militias of supporting ISIL fighters among the group. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the Afghan claims, calling them unfounded and denying that Pakistani security forces or intelligence agencies had taken part in the Nuristan clashes or recruited former Afghan security staff. The ministry repeated its long-standing demand that the Taliban take concrete action against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan and prevent Afghan territory from being used as a staging ground for attacks on Pakistan or other countries. The reported clash adds to a recent pattern of cross-border violence and reciprocal accusations. Last week Pakistan carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan it said were being used to store and launch drones involved in cross-border attacks; the Taliban’s spokesman said those strikes killed at least four people and vowed an "appropriate response." Earlier, on September 21, Pakistan said its strikes killed 28 fighters, while Afghan officials reported civilian deaths and the U.N. mission in Afghanistan confirmed three civilian fatalities. Both governments have repeatedly accused the other of harbouring militants who conduct attacks across the border, and the latest exchange of allegations underscores the fragile security situation along the Afghanistan–Pakistan frontier. Each side’s denials and counterclaims complicate efforts to establish independent verification of incidents and increase the risk of further military escalations in the region.