OMM Redaksiyası
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said 28 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in the eastern province of Nuristan.
According to the Afghan side, the group crossed into Kamdesh district near the Pakistan border on Saturday to carry out attacks. Members of the Islamic State militant group were also reportedly among them.
Afghanistan’s claims
The Defense Ministry alleged that Pakistani militias supported the fighters and that most of them were former members of the security forces of Afghanistan’s previous government.
Afghan forces conducted an operation against the group. The ministry said the surviving fighters retreated across the border toward positions held by Pakistani militias.
Afghanistan also said Pakistani military personnel and militia members had coordinated with the fighters in advance and withdrew when clashes began. The ministry accused Pakistani intelligence of taking former Afghan security personnel to Pakistan under the pretext of providing assistance, then training them and sending them to Nuristan.
Pakistan’s military authorities and information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations. Reuters wrote that it could not independently verify the Afghan Defense Ministry’s account or the casualty figures.
Tensions rise along the border
The incident occurred several days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan on Sept. 21. Islamabad said the strikes targeted militant hideouts and killed 28 fighters.
Afghan officials said civilians were also killed in the strikes. The United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed that three civilians had died.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of allowing armed groups to operate on its territory and organize attacks across the border. Kabul rejects the allegations. The latest mutual accusations have further heightened tensions between the neighboring countries, which were already elevated after a series of cross-border attacks and military operations.
