PESHAWAR: A clash between Pakistani security forces and the Afghan Taliban on the border near the Kurram district resulted in the death of eight Afghan soldiers, including two ‘key’ commanders, and injuries to at least 16, Dawn has learnt.

Sources said the Afghan side attacked a Pakistani check post with heavy weapons in the Palosin area on the Pak-Afghan border on Saturday morning.

“We have reports about heavy losses on the other [Afghan] side. So far, eight Afghan Taliban have been killed and 16 others have sustained injuries in retaliatory firing by the Pakistani forces,” sources said, adding two ‘key’ commanders, Khalil and Jan Muhammad, were also killed.

There was no official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on this incident until going to press.

FC man martyred, three injured in Kurram ambush

This is not the first time Afghan troops have opened fire on Pakistani security forces posted at the border, sources said, adding that in the past Pakistan had shared its concerns with Kabul over such incidents. They claimed that the Afghan Taliban, apart from facilitating militant activities inside Pakistan, were now openly attacking the forces along the international border.

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Due to the tense security situation, trade between the two countries remained suspended over the weekend. A Dawn correspondent said there was intermittent firing on the border on Sunday as well, but no casualties were reported.

In May this year, the Foreign Office conveyed its concerns to Kabul after a large number of locals were displaced in Kharlachi and sought shelter in safer places in the wake of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

At the time, tribal elders from Kurram and the Afghan side played a role in defusing the tensions. However, clashes on the border had prompted large-scale displacement from villages and settlements near the Kharlachi border crossing.

FC man martyred

Meanwhile, an FC official was martyred and three personnel sustained injuries in an attack carried out in the Marghan area of the central Kurram on Sunday.

Police sources said militants attacked an FC check post of the Tall Scouts and managed to escape after the ambush. The dead body and injured personnel had been shifted to the hospital.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024