Pakistan and Afghanistan issued conflicting accounts on Wednesday over a new border incident. The Associated Press reported that four local Pakistani officials said Pakistani forces had foiled what they described as a cross-border infiltration attempt from areas near Afghanistan’s Paktia and Nangarhar provinces. According to the Pakistani account, Afghan Taliban forces then fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts.
The Pakistani officials said their forces responded with artillery fire aimed at Taliban border posts, mortar positions and defensive sites on the Afghan side. Those claims were not independently verified in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Afghan Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that Afghan Taliban forces had carried out attacks on the Pakistani posts. The incident therefore remains disputed: Pakistani officials allege Afghan Taliban shelling, while Kabul denies that its forces attacked.
The exchange comes only days after Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said targeted militant hideouts and that Kabul condemned as a violation of sovereignty. Pakistani security sources also reported separate drone interceptions on Wednesday. Together, the episodes underscore heightened tensions along the border.