Afghanistan has said its forces killed 28 fighters in the eastern province of Nuristan after they crossed the border from Pakistan, as Kabul and Islamabad traded accusations over terrorism and cross-border violence.
The Taliban’s Defence Ministry said its forces had clashed with the group on Sunday. It alleged that most of those killed were former Afghan government security personnel recruited by Pakistan’s intelligence services with promises of asylum and well-paid jobs in foreign countries.
Afghan officials also claimed that the fighters included members of ISIL, also known as ISIS, who were supported by Pakistani militias.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected the allegations, calling them “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth”. It denied that Pakistani security forces or intelligence agencies had taken part in the Nuristan clashes, recruited or trained former Afghan security personnel, or supported ISIL or other armed groups in Afghanistan.
Pakistan instead urged the Taliban to take “credible and verifiable action against terrorist organisations operating from its territory”. The ministry said Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism against Pakistan or any other country, accusing Kabul of trying to deflect responsibility through “fabricated accusations”.
Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions escalate
The latest clash follows a series of increasingly hostile exchanges between the neighbours. Pakistan launched air strikes last week on 10 locations in Afghanistan that it said were used to store and launch drones involved in cross-border attacks.
The strikes on Thursday killed at least four people, according to a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government, which promised an “appropriate response”.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering fighters who attack its territory, while Kabul has denied the charge.
Sunday’s incident also came after Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan on September 21. Islamabad said those attacks killed 28 fighters, while Afghan officials said civilians had died. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed three civilian deaths.
