Taliban Strikes Back After Pakistan Air Raids, 15 Soldiers Killed

October 12, 2025 | 03:34 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, after Taliban forces launched retaliatory attacks following Pakistan’s airstrikes in several Afghan regions, including the capital, Kabul.

Mawlawi Mohammad Qasim Riaz, spokesman for the Helmand provincial government, said on Saturday night, October 11, 2025, that the operation took place near the Durand Line in the Bahrampur district.

“Afghan forces killed 15 Pakistani soldiers and captured three military posts, seizing weapons and ammunition,” he told reporters.

The retaliation came after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and Paktika provinces earlier this week.

In response, Afghan forces targeted Pakistani military positions along multiple border provinces, including Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kunar, all located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.

On Thursday, three explosions were reported in Afghanistan — two in Kabul and one in Paktika, southeastern Afghanistan. The Taliban-led Ministry of Defense accused Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty.

“In retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul, Taliban forces are engaged in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas,” the Afghan military said in a statement quoted by NDTV.

Defense Ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarazm said the operation ended by midnight.

“If the opposing side violates Afghanistan's territory again, our armed forces are ready to defend their territory and will respond firmly,” he warned.

Islamabad has not confirmed its involvement in Thursday’s attacks but has urged Kabul to stop sheltering members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

The TTP, an ideological ally of the Afghan Taliban, fought alongside it during the 2001–2021 conflict. Since 2021, Pakistan has accused the TTP of killing hundreds of its soldiers in cross-border assaults.

“This evening, Taliban forces began using weapons. We fired first light and then heavy artillery at four points along the border,” said a senior official in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders Afghanistan.

“Pakistani forces responded with heavy fire and shot down three Afghan quadcopters suspected of carrying explosives. Intense fighting continues, but so far, no casualties have been reported,” the official added.

In recent months, Pakistani Taliban militants have repeatedly targeted Pakistani security forces in mountainous border regions.

Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing militants to use Afghan territory as a base for attacks, an allegation strongly denied by Kabul.

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