Intense fighting continues along the Durand Line border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with both sides making major claims of casualties and territorial gains. Pakistan has claimed that it killed 133 Taliban fighters in recent airstrikes and that over 200 people were injured during the attacks. Islamabad says the strikes targeted militant hideouts linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-K (ISKP). In response, Afghanistan has launched retaliatory attacks, claiming that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and that up to 15–20 Pakistani military posts were captured along border areas including Khyber, Kunar, and Bajaur. Heavy cross-border shelling and gunfire reportedly began late in the evening and continued through the night. Independent verification of the casualty figures remains difficult, as both countries are presenting their own versions of events. The conflict escalated after Pakistan conducted airstrikes inside Afghan territory, which Kabul described as a violation of sovereignty and claimed civilian casualties occurred. Tensions between the two nations have remained high since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, particularly over cross-border militant activity in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
