Pakistan retaliates after Afghan border firing at Angoor Adda

Pakistan’s armed forces destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts and military positions in retaliatory action following cross-border firing near Angoor Adda, state media reported on Friday, citing security officials. The action reportedly covered positions adjoining South Waziristan and the Parachinar area.

The confrontation began on Tuesday when Afghan forces allegedly opened fire on Pakistani border posts and nearby residential areas. Officials said sniper weapons, small arms and heavier weaponry were used from positions inside Afghanistan, prompting Pakistani forces to respond against multiple border installations, mortar positions and defensive bunkers.

One local resident was killed during the initial firing, while five members of a family were injured. The reported involvement of residential areas has intensified concern about the danger faced by communities living close to the frontier, where an exchange between security forces can quickly expose civilians to gunfire and displacement.

Security officials said Pakistani troops used heavy weapons and artillery during the response, forcing personnel on the opposite side to abandon several positions. State media also reported that Afghan personnel were killed, but no independently verified casualty figure was available, and the Afghan authorities had not publicly confirmed the reported losses.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the original firing and said attacks on Pakistani citizens or violations of the country’s sovereignty would not be tolerated. Islamabad has also rejected an account issued by the Afghan defence authorities that portrayed Pakistan as the aggressor, describing that version as inaccurate.

Angoor Adda is a strategically important crossing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier and supports both public movement and cross-border commerce. Its location also makes the area particularly vulnerable whenever relations between Islamabad and Kabul deteriorate or armed activity increases along the border.

The latest confrontation follows repeated Pakistani accusations that militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, operate from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Kabul has rejected similar allegations, while Pakistan maintains that insufficient action against such groups has contributed to attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country.

Tensions have risen repeatedly in recent months. Pakistan previously announced operations against militant hideouts across the border after major attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while security forces have also reported intercepting drones and responding to attempted infiltrations and firing in the Torkham and Upper Kurram sectors.

Continued hostilities could place border communities at greater risk and disrupt movement through an important crossing. They may also complicate already strained diplomatic engagement between the two neighbours, particularly as Pakistan presses for verifiable action against militant networks it says are using Afghan territory.

The immediate priority will be preventing another exchange and establishing a reliable account of casualties and damage. Longer-term de-escalation will depend on border coordination, protection of civilian areas and substantive talks addressing Pakistan’s security concerns without allowing isolated incidents to develop into a wider confrontation.