Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak, Border Tensions Escalate

Islamabad/Kabul:In a dramatic escalation of cross-border hostilities, Pakistan on Wednesday launched a series of airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak city, near the Chaman border crossing. According to reports, the strikes targeted multiple Afghan-Taliban outposts along the frontier, intensifying the already volatile situation between the two neighboring nations.

Local sources confirmed that at least three Taliban border posts were hit, with witnesses reporting the presence of drones and aircraft during the assault. The attack reportedly resulted in the deaths of four Pakistani security personnel and left four others injured. Meanwhile, around ten civilians were rushed to a hospital in Chaman following the strikes.

A video circulating from Spin Boldak showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from the site of impact, as chaos unfolded in the border town. The latest clashes have stranded hundreds of people on both sides of the border, severely disrupting trade and movement.

The ongoing hostilities began on the night of October 11, when Afghan forces reportedly launched strikes on several Pakistani military positions. According to The Associated Press, Afghan officials claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliation for what they described as repeated violations of Afghan territory and airspace.

Pakistan’s military, however, reported a different account, stating that 23 of its soldiers were killed while more than 200 “Taliban and affiliated terrorists” were neutralized during retaliatory fire along the frontier.

Abidullah Uqab, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s border police, confirmed that all crossings between the two countries remain closed for trade and civilian movement. Although the Chaman border crossing was briefly reopened, around 1,500 Afghan nationals stranded since Sunday were only permitted to return home on foot.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have been steadily rising since last week, following allegations by Afghanistan’s Taliban government that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and a market in eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan has previously targeted what it described as militant hideouts inside Afghan territory.

While skirmishes along the border are not new, analysts note that this latest confrontation marks one of the deadliest episodes in recent years, underscoring the deepening mistrust between the two governments.

Pakistan has long accused Kabul of sheltering members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a banned militant outfit blamed for numerous attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban administration in Afghanistan, however, has consistently denied these allegations, insisting that it does not allow its soil to be used against any other country.