Forces target posts after shelling kills one civilian and wounds five in South Waziristan’s Angoor Adda area amid recurring cross-border tensions.
The Pakistan Army has destroyed several Afghan Taliban checkposts along the border in a retaliatory operation following what Pakistani security sources described as unprovoked shelling that killed one civilian and injured five members of the same family in the Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan.
According to Pakistani military and local administration sources, Afghan Taliban forces opened fire on civilian areas, including a bazaar and residential zones, late on Tuesday. A mortar shell struck a house, resulting in the civilian death and injuries. Shops in the vicinity were also reported damaged. The deputy commissioner of Lower South Waziristan confirmed the casualties and said Pakistani forces deployed along the frontier responded forcefully.
Security sources stated that the army swiftly targeted and destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban checkposts across the border. Troops remain on high alert and prepared to counter any further aggression, with the response described as ongoing.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Clashes Intensify:
The latest clash forms part of a recurring pattern of violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, particularly in the Angoor Adda sector of South Waziristan. Similar mortar attacks from the Afghan side in previous months have injured civilians and damaged property, prompting Pakistani retaliatory strikes on Taliban positions.
Pakistan has long accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of failing to prevent the use of Afghan territory by militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for cross-border attacks. The Afghan side has repeatedly denied harbouring such groups and has accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty through airstrikes and ground operations.
No immediate comment was available from Afghan Taliban officials regarding the latest incident or the reported destruction of checkposts. Independent verification of the scale of damage or casualties on the Afghan side remains limited.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions Persist Along Border:
Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban government in Kabul have remained strained since the latter’s return to power in 2021. Border fencing, trade disruptions, and mutual accusations over militancy have fuelled periodic escalations. Diplomatic efforts, including mediation attempts by regional and international actors, have so far failed to produce a lasting de-escalation mechanism.
Pakistani forces emphasised that their actions were defensive and aimed at protecting civilians and securing the border. The military maintains a heightened state of readiness along the frontier as both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility for the violence.
The incident underscores the fragility of the 2,600-kilometre border and the challenges of stabilising one of South Asia’s most volatile frontiers.