Over Eighty Dead as Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Clashes Persist

(MENAFN) Cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan showed no signs of abating Monday, with fresh casualties reported in eastern Kunar province — including at least three children killed amid continued shelling, according to Afghan media.

A national broadcaster, reported that the three children were killed and two others wounded after shells — allegedly fired by Pakistani military forces — struck a refugee camp in the Khass Kunar district. The strike drew no immediate official acknowledgment from either government.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Television, the state-run broadcaster, citing security sources, reported that Pakistani army units had destroyed an ammunition depot in eastern Khost province as part of ongoing operations against what it characterized as the "Afghan Taliban regime's aggression." Islamabad has consistently maintained that its military campaign constitutes legitimate self-defense and has not targeted civilians.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar put forward sweeping casualty figures Monday, asserting that 435 Afghan Taliban operatives and suspected militants had been killed, with more than 630 wounded, across airstrikes and ground clashes since Thursday. Kabul, in turn, claims 56 Pakistani soldiers have died during the border engagements. Neither government's figures could be independently verified.

A combined tally drawn from both sides places the overall death toll at 84 — comprising 12 Pakistani soldiers and one civilian on one side, and 13 Afghan soldiers alongside 58 civilians on the other. One Pakistani soldier remains unaccounted for.

As a precautionary security measure, Islamabad ordered the closure of dozens of schools situated near the frontier in the North Waziristan, Mohmand, Khyber, and Bajaur districts, effective Monday and continuing until further notice.

Chinese Envoy Weighs In Amid Diplomatic Pressure
In a parallel diplomatic development, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong in Islamabad on Monday for talks amid the deteriorating security climate.

"Discussions were held on the evolving regional situation and broader developments," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said on the US social media company X.

Dar is said to have underscored the need for dialogue and sustained diplomatic engagement, reaffirming Pakistan's broader commitment to regional peace and stability. The official readout stopped short of explicitly addressing the border standoff with Afghanistan, though Beijing has separately confirmed it is actively engaging both Islamabad and Kabul in de-escalation efforts.

How the Crisis Unfolded
The current flashpoint traces back to last Thursday, when Kabul launched what it described as "retaliatory operations" along the frontier — a direct response to Pakistani airstrikes carried out in late February that Islamabad said targeted militant infrastructure, killing 70 "terrorists." Afghan authorities and the United Nations, however, reported civilian deaths in those strikes — a claim Pakistan flatly denies.

The broader deterioration in bilateral relations stems from Islamabad's repeated accusation that militants are operating freely from Afghan soil — allegations that Kabul has consistently rejected — even as both sides remain nominally engaged in regional diplomatic channels aimed at curbing further escalation.

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