Days after a brief period of calm along the Pak-Afghan border, fresh clashes erupted in the Kurram sector as Pakistani security forces retaliated against unprovoked firing from Afghan Taliban regime and members of the militant group “Fitna al-Khawarij,” security sources confirmed on Tuesday. According to the sources, Afghan Taliban fighters opened indiscriminate fire on Pakistani positions, prompting a strong and decisive response from the Pakistan Army. The retaliatory strikes reportedly inflicted significant damage on multiple Taliban posts, with fires breaking out across the border. Security officials said a Taliban regime tank was destroyed, and fighters were seen fleeing their positions, leaving behind several bodies of their fallen comrades. Also Read: Pakistan signals major shift in Afghan policy In another engagement within the Kurram sector, a moving tank was precisely targeted and destroyed — described by sources as a “highly professional and skillful strike.” Footage of the destroyed tank is reportedly available. The latest exchange followed a two-day lull, with sources confirming that another Taliban post and tank position were eliminated in the ongoing operations. In an intense engagement at the Shamshad post, the Army destroyed a fourth tank position within an hour, underscoring the pace and intensity of the response. Security sources further confirmed that in Afghanistan’s Khost province, a fifth tank position at Nargasar Post was also destroyed along with the tank and its crew. According to the sources, Pakistani forces also targeted and destroyed a sixth Taliban tank along with its crew during an operation at Turkmanzai Top. Visuals captured through night-vision devices showed flames rising from the destroyed tank, the sources added. Security officials said that members of the occupying Taliban group abandoned their posts and fled amid the intense response by Pakistani forces. Read More: Pakistan warns of direct strikes on Afghan soil after cross-border attacks In reaction to Pakistan’s heavy counterattack, Taliban fighters reportedly raised a white flag at one of their border posts, indicating surrender. Following the display of the white flag, the Taliban regime’s operatives vacated the position and escaped, security sources confirmed. Pakistan’s security forces also reportedly killed a key commander of Fitna al-Khawarij during the ongoing action. The militant fighters — both Taliban regime and their affiliates — were said to be in a state of panic and disarray, abandoning their posts in haste. According to security officials, military operations against the Afghan Taliban and Fitna al-Khawarij are continuing with full force, focusing on eliminating hostile threats near the border and ensuring regional security. The renewed fighting follows last week’s confrontation on the night of October 11–12, when Afghan Taliban forces, supported by “Indian-sponsored elements of Fitna al-Khawarij,” launched an unprovoked attack along the border. Read: 'China willing to help ease Pak-Afghan tensions' Responding to what it termed a “cowardly action,” the Pakistan Army said more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in overnight clashes, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The statement noted that the skirmishes caused significant infrastructural damage to Taliban posts, camps, headquarters, and support networks “ranging from tactical to operational depth along the border.” “In the interest of regional peace and security, Pakistan urges the Taliban government to take swift and verifiable measures to dismantle terrorist groups — including FAK, FAH, and ISKP/Daesh — operating from Afghan soil,” the ISPR added. Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan on Sunday after exchanges of fire between forces on both sides.
from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/VWuHD1o
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