What happened
According to a report by Dawn, Pakistan's Ministry of Information has dismissed claims made by the Afghan defence ministry that a Pakistani border post was destroyed near the Spin Boldak border in Balochistan, labeling the assertions fake and fabricated. Pakistani authorities also denied Afghan claims that Afghan forces suffered no losses during the conflict. Instead, the ministry stated that an attempted Afghan attack in the Gulistan sector was successfully repelled between the night of September 24 and September 25, resulting in at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel being killed and several others wounded. Visual evidence of the engagement was later shared by the ministry on social media.
Key facts
- Dawn reported that Pakistan carried out retaliatory precision drone and aerial strikes across 10 locations in Afghanistan following the entry of eight Afghan drones into Pakistani airspace near Torkham and Kohat, which were brought down by security forces.
- The border conflict follows prior clashes, including unprovoked firing near Kurram and earlier drone incursions into Balochistan during June and July that were intercepted by Pakistani forces.
- Earlier airstrikes conducted on September 21 eliminated more than 28 terrorists after a major attack at the old Police Lines in Kohat resulted in 23 deaths and approximately 100 injuries.
- Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that the recent operations fall under Operation Ghazab lil Haq, a counter-terrorism initiative launched in late February.
- Previous counter-terrorism strikes in June led to the deaths of 26 terrorists early in the month and 25 additional casualties in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar later that month.
Why it matters
Cross-border tensions between Islamabad and Kabul continue to escalate due to ongoing security incidents. Dawn noted that Pakistani officials, including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, have repeatedly asked the Taliban administration to take verifiable action against militant safe havens, specifically those operated by the TTP. Pakistan has informed the UN Security Council of its intention to act in self-defence against cross-border terrorism. Furthermore, a UN Security Council-mandated monitoring report covering December 2025 to June 2026 stated that Taliban support for the TTP has heightened the frequency and severity of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, highlighting operational links between the TTP, Al Qaeda, ISIL-K, and the BLA.
Source: Dawn - Home · Published September 25, 2026