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Pakistan strikes multiple Afghan Taliban posts

Published : Sunday, 18 October, 2026 at 10:14 AM

Observer Online Report

Pakistan's military has launched retaliatory strikes on several Afghan Taliban positions in response to what it described as unprovoked firing in the Upper Kurram and Ghozgarhi areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.

According to security sources, Pakistani forces fired artillery shells at the Afghan Taliban's Topsar post and Shipola base camp in the Upper Kurram sector. The sources claimed that the Shipola base camp was destroyed in the attack.

Several Afghan Taliban members were killed in the retaliatory strikes in the Ghozgarhi border area, the sources said. They also claimed that Taliban personnel fled a border post following the Pakistani attack.

A further exchange of fire later occurred in the Kurram sector along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with Pakistani forces responding with heavy weapons, according to the sources.

The security sources claimed that the Afghan Taliban government was providing support to militants. They said several Taliban posts had been destroyed in subsequent retaliatory operations and that personnel had abandoned their positions.

The sources added that Pakistan's military remained on alert to protect the country's borders and ensure national security.

Pakistan has long accused armed groups based in Afghanistan of carrying out attacks inside its territory. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action against these groups. The Afghan Taliban government, however, has rejected allegations that it allows its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Islamabad maintains that militant activities involve not only cross-border infiltration but also training, weapons supplies and operational assistance.

According to figures cited by Pakistani authorities, terrorist activities originating from Afghan territory killed 1,327 people and injured another 2,484 in Pakistan in 2026 alone.

Pakistani officials have alleged that when the country's military targets militant hideouts, the Taliban government moves to protect the militants and their sanctuaries rather than dismantling the infrastructure. Islamabad says the issue extends beyond the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Various United Nations assessments have also highlighted the presence of several armed groups in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K). These assessments have raised concerns about the existence of wider militant networks on Afghan territory.

According to Pakistani officials, the continued presence of these groups, training facilities, cross-border infiltration and access to advanced weapons have contributed to Afghanistan remaining a significant base for militant activities affecting Pakistan.

Pakistan urges Kabul to dismantle militant sanctuaries

Pakistani officials have said Kabul must take concrete measures to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to launch attacks against Pakistan. They have also called for the dismantling of militant safe havens and training infrastructure and an end to cross-border infiltration.

The Pakistani government's position is that the issue is fundamentally linked to national security and cannot be resolved simply by denying continued attacks originating from Afghan territory.

Islamabad expects the Afghan Taliban government to take verifiable and effective action against armed groups operating within Afghanistan and dismantle their infrastructure rather than deny their presence or protect them, officials said.

-MT