PESHAWAR: In an unprecedented series of late-night events, the Afghan Taliban regime claimed to have carried out what it called ‘successful retaliatory operations’ against Pakistan, marking one of the rare occasions that Kabul has claimed officially sanctioned military action against its eastern neighbour.

The attacks, which were confirmed by the Interior Ministry in a statement issued around 12:30am on Sunday, were reported from several border areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemns the incidents of unprovoked firing by Afghanistan on Pakistani territory. The firing by Afghan forces on civilian populations is a blatant violation of international laws,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran promptly expressed concern over the sudden spike in hostitilies between the two nations. Both Riyadh and Tehran called for “self-restraint”, while Doha counselled “both sides to prioritise dialogue, diplomacy”.

“The Kingdom calls for self-restraint, avoiding escalation and embracing dialogue and wisdom,” said the statement from the Saudi foreign ministry.

Qatar’s foreign ministry asked both sides to work toward containing differences in a manner that helped to reduce tension, and reiterated its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at strengthening international peace and security.

Meanwhile, Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi called on Afghanistan and Pakistan “to exercise restraint” amid ongoing clashes.

“Our position is that both sides must exercise restraint,” he said during a live interview with state television, adding that “stability” between the countries “contributes to regional stability”.

Afghan claim

A statement on X by Afghan Taliban Defence Ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarzami, which was re-posted by Kabul’s primary spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed its armed forces carried out ‘retaliatory operations’.

It claimed the military action had ‘been concluded at 12midnight’, adding that if Pakistan violated Afghanistan’s sovereignty again, its armed forces would respond firmly.

The statement followed information from Pakistan security sources, which suggested that multiple infiltration attempts had been foiled along the border with Afghanistan.

These included areas such as Mohmand, Bajaur and Chitral district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Chagai, Zhob, Pishin and Banadi areas in Balochistan.

According to some accounts, these areas saw intense fighting between both sides.

Pakistani security sources claimed their forces had successfully responded to ‘firing from the Afghan side’.

According to Pakistani security sources, the attacks were intended to provide fire cover for Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operatives to infiltrate its territory.

Although Islamabad has consistently blamed Kabul for allowing elements who commit terror attacks on Pakistani soil to use Afghan territory as their launch pad, this was a rare occasion when Afghanistan said that its own troops had carried out the attack.

Although most information was being passed on to the media by unnamed security officials, Pakistan military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, reported foiling multiple infiltration attempts from Afghanistan-based terrorists over the past year or so.

The ‘retaliation’ tag was ostensibly a reference to reports of the recent explosions in Kabul, and conflicting reports emerged about a possible Pakistani strike on a high-value terrorist target. But there has been no official confirmation of this supposed strike from the Pakistani side. Asked about the claim during a presser earlier this week, the military’s chief spokesperson had avoided giving a direct answer, instead asserting their right to strike terrorist targets inside Afghanistan upon provocation.

Pakistani response

Although there was no official word from the Foreign Office, ISPR or PM Office, the interior ministry, in a series of tweets, claimed that

Pakistani forces had given “a swift and effective response”, and vowed not to brook any provocation.

“Pakistan’s forces are vigilant and are responding to Afghanistan with a stone for every brick.” It directly accused Afghanistan of playing a bloody game at the behest of Pakistan’s old enemy — a reference to India. The claim, comes hot on the heels of a very warm visit to New Delhi by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. “Afghanistan will also be given a befitting reply like India, so that it will not dare to look at Pakistan with an evil eye,” the statement attributed to Mr Naqvi said.

Earlier, Pakistan security sources and state TV had claimed reports of significant damage inflicted on multiple Afghan posts and militant formations.

The Pakistan Army reportedly used artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons in its response, sources claimed.

According to reports from some of these border areas, intense fighting raged in these areas around midnight, although it wasn’t clear if the hostilities had indeed ceased by the time of going to print.

Saleem Shahid in Quetta and Tahir Khan also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025