12 Afghans killed, over 100 injured in Pakistani military attack: Taliban

October 15, 2025

Kabul: At least 12 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after Pakistani military forces launched strikes on Spin Boldak district in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan early Wednesday, according to Taliban officials quoted by local media.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of carrying out the assault using light and heavy weapons along the Durand Line, the de facto border between the two countries.

“Unfortunately, this morning, Pakistani forces once again launched attacks with light and heavy weapons on Afghanistan in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, as a result of which more than 12 civilians were martyred and more than 100 were injured. After that, Afghan forces were forced to take retaliatory action,” Mujahid said.

Taliban Claims Retaliatory Strike Killed Pakistani Soldiers

Mujahid further claimed that Afghan forces launched retaliatory operations, killing multiple Pakistani soldiers, capturing military posts and equipment, and destroying several installations on the Pakistani side.

“In retaliatory operations, multiple Pakistani aggressor soldiers were killed, their posts and centres were captured, weapons and tanks fell into the hands of Afghan forces, and most of their military installations were destroyed,” he said, adding that Afghan forces remained “ready to defend their homeland.”

Heavy Clashes Reported Near the Border

According to Taliban officials, intense fighting erupted around 4 a.m. (local time) and continued until 8 a.m., resulting in casualties on both sides and damage to civilian areas.

Local sources told media outlets that hospitals in Kandahar city received at least 25 bodies and more than 80 wounded individuals, many of whom were women and children from residential areas near the border.

Border Tensions Escalate Amid Series of Clashes

The incident marks another flare-up in border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have witnessed a series of cross-border exchanges and airstrikes in recent days.

Earlier on Sunday, Mujahid claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during a retaliatory operation conducted by Afghan forces along the Durand Line. He added that 20 Pakistani outposts were destroyed, while nine Afghan soldiers were martyred and 16 others wounded.

According to Afghanistan-based Tolo News, Mujahid said that the cross-border fighting was halted at midnight following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which urged both sides to de-escalate.

Taliban Links ISIS-K Activity to Pakistan

In a separate statement, Mujahid alleged that after ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) was defeated in Afghanistan, the militant group began reorganising in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He claimed that recent ISIS-K attacks inside Afghanistan were planned and executed from these bases and called on Islamabad to hand over key ISIS-K leaders to the Taliban government.