A Pakistani official has claimed that the country's security forces responded to "unprovoked" firing from the Taliban side in the South Waziristan border region. The Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday night, November 1, that the deputy commissioner of Lower South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province claimed Pakistani forces immediately and effectively targeted several Taliban outposts and defensive positions.
The official alleged that unprovoked firing from Taliban fighters towards Pakistani border checkpoints was continuing. "Following a firm response from the Pakistani forces, the Afghan Taliban were forced to abandon their positions and flee," the Pakistani official claimed.
This incident is the latest in a series of border tensions between the Taliban government and Pakistan, which have escalated since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Both sides frequently blame each other for initiating clashes.
The claim comes after Taliban fighters also clashed with Pakistani security forces last Tuesday in the Angoor Adda border area, also in South Waziristan. That engagement also reportedly resulted in casualties, though figures were not independently confirmed.
Taliban government officials have not yet commented on the Pakistani claims. The Durand Line, which serves as the de facto border, is a major point of contention between Kabul and Islamabad, historically fueling tensions.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly alleged that its territory is being targeted from Afghan soil, a claim consistently denied by the Taliban, who state they do not allow any group to threaten the security of neighboring countries.
Source: Dawn
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