A Pakistani paramilitary soldier was killed and 11 others were injured in a series of cross-border attacks by Afghan Taliban forces on December 28, 2024. The incidents occurred in the Upper Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Taliban fighters targeted multiple Pakistani border posts, including those in Ghozgarhi, Kot Ragha, Matha Sangar, and Tari Mengal, using both light and heavy weaponry.

The clashes were reportedly a response to recent Pakistani airstrikes aimed at Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Afghanistan's Paktika province. These airstrikes were claimed to have resulted in significant casualties, including the deaths of civilians. Following the Taliban's attacks, Pakistani forces retaliated, inflicting heavy losses on the Afghan side, with reports indicating that seven to eight Taliban fighters were killed.

This escalation in violence highlights the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan since the latter's rise to power in 2021. Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan of harbouring TTP militants who conduct attacks across the border, a claim that Afghanistan denies.

PTI