KEY POINTS
- Pakistani forces and Afghan Taliban exchange heavy fire for 40 minutes.
- Taliban attempted to build a tank bunker on the border where no country is allowed to construct structures.
- No injuries or deaths were reported on either side.
- 17 border skirmishes took place in 2024 over unauthorised Afghan Taliban construction.
- Border tensions have surged since the Taliban took control of Kabul.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A skirmish broke out on Monday evening between Pakistani security forces and Afghan Taliban at the Kodakhel border point on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Mohmand district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Both sides traded heavy fire, which lasted for approximately 40 minutes.
A senior administrative official from Mohmand told WE News English, “Exactly at Kodakhel Pass border point in the Yaqoobi area, Afghan Taliban from Lalpura district of Nangarhar province attempted to build a bunker for a tank. Pakistani forces on site informed them that no country is allowed to construct structures directly on the border.”
Nevertheless, the official who declined to be named added, the Afghan Taliban refused to comply, leading to a heated argument. Later, the Taliban opened fire on Pakistani forces, who were left with no other option but to retaliate and target Taliban positions on the other side of the border.
“Fortunately, despite over half an hour of gunfire, no casualties were reported,” he said.
Recurring clashes
Border clashes over construction activities have been occurring for the past two years in various regions along the Pak-Afghan border, including Chitral, Bajaur, Dir, Kurram, Khyber, and North Waziristan.
A senior official at the Home Department in Peshawar informed WENews English, “There have been multiple confrontations between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani security forces along the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa section of the border.”
He went on to add that last year, 17 skirmishes took place in different districts of this northwestern province, including Kurram, North Waziristan, Khyber, and Bajaur after Pakistan halted unauthorised construction. These clashes resulted in the deaths of three Pakistani security personnel and more than 10 Afghan Taliban fighters,” he said.
Shah Wali Afridi, a police officer stationed in Tirah—a border town in the Khyber district along the Pak-Afghan frontier—said while speaking to this scribe, “In August 2024, Afghan Taliban opened fire on Pakistani forces twice when they were constructing two rooms for security personnel within Pakistan’s territory. This occurred despite prior warnings to Afghan authorities about the construction.”
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Since the Afghan Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021, border skirmishes have increased. A Home Department official noted, “During the administrations of Ashraf Ghani and Hamid Karzai, there were not as many border clashes as we have seen since August 15, 2021, when the Taliban took power.”
In 2023, tensions escalated when the Afghan Taliban attempted to build a gate inside Pakistani territory, leading to a border clash that resulted in a seven-day closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan crossing. Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue of border violations through diplomatic channels, but no significant change has been observed.
The Home Department official added that while Pakistani security forces have engaged in multiple border clashes with Afghan Taliban over construction disputes, they have also been confronting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) incursions. “In 2024, several skirmishes have taken place between Pakistani forces and TTP militants attempting to infiltrate from across the border.”
