Afghan forces allied with Taliban strike Pakistani border posts

Heavy fighting erupted late Saturday along the Afghanistan Pakistan border after Taliban-led Afghan forces carried out coordinated attacks on Pakistani military posts in multiple provinces, officials on both sides said. Afghan defence officials said the assaults, concentrated in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces and extending to Helmand, Paktia and Khost, were launched in retaliation for what Kabul described as Pakistani airstrikes earlier in the week near Kabul and elsewhere. Pakistani authorities said their forces returned fire and repelled the assaults.

Afghan military spokesmen and Taliban-aligned units said the offensive employed artillery, mortars and drones and struck Frontier Corps positions, logistics hubs and small barracks along sections of the Durand Line. The 201st Khalid bin Walid Army Corps of Afghanistan claimed responsibility, calling the operation a direct response to alleged violations of Afghan airspace. Video shared by Pakistani security officials showed artillery and gunfire lighting the night sky on the Pakistan side of the frontier.

Accounts of territorial gains and casualties diverged. Afghan defence statements said several Pakistani outposts were captured...