KHYBER(National Times)- Pakistan responded effectively to unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban on Pak-Afghan border in Torkham and Tirah. According to PM foreign media spokesman Musharraf Zaidi, Pakistan security forces responded quickly and effectively to the aggression. In a statement on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman for foreign media, Musharraf Zaidi, said any further provocation will be responded promptly and strongly. According to security sources, clashes took place at three different points in the border area and the firing continued for about an hour. All Pakistan Army soldiers remained safe, while during the retaliatory action, a checkpost of the Afghan forces was targeted and completely destroyed.

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The Prime Minister’s spokesman said any further provocation will be responded in a befitting manner.
God willing, Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and defend its territorial integrity, he added. The post reads, “The Afghan Taliban regime initiated unprovoked firing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border in Torkham & Tirah sub-sectors. Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately & effectively, silencing the Taliban aggression. Any further provocation will be responded to immediately and severely. InshaAllah, Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity.” Tensions escalated sharply in October 2025, when the two neighbours were drawn into fierce border clashes following unprovoked attacks on Pakistan frontier posts by the Afghan Taliban and allied fighters. According to Pakistani officials, more than 200 Taliban and affiliated militants were killed in the fighting, while 23 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives. Pakistan’s recent strikes along the Afghan border come after a wave of militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that have left many civilians and members of the security forces dead. Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban authorities to crack down against militant groups that it says are operating from Afghan soil. Pakistani officials maintain that their concerns have not been addressed in a meaningful way by Kabul. In the aftermath, Pakistan carried out what it termed “precision strikes” inside Afghanistan, targeting suspected militant hideouts in Kandahar province and Kabul. Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remained open and several rounds of talks followed. But attempts to secure a ceasefire failed. Islamabad has blamed the Afghan Taliban administration for not taking decisive action against armed groups. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistani authorities say cross-border militancy has gathered pace, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, provinces that sit along a long, porous and often volatile frontier. On February 17, an attack in Bajaur district killed 11 security personnel. Pakistani officials said 12 militants were shot dead during the ensuing operation.