Taliban-Pakistan border clashes continue after Moscow talks end without agreement

Since October 5, reported fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan has largely consisted of border clashes along Afghanistan’s southeastern Paktia province and Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The fighting followed disagreements at the eighth Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, a Russia-led regional diplomatic forum, which ended without a joint statement. Pakistan also declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, suspending the provincial government over what federal officials described as a deteriorating security situation. On October 11, Radio Pakistan reported that Pakistani forces had killed 12 Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP) militants and Afghan Taliban fighters during an exchange of fire the previous day in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, security forces engaged militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Afghan Taliban border posts then opened fire to support the infiltration attempt, the military claimed. One Pakistani soldier was killed. Also on October 10, the Taliban’s 203 Mansouri Corps, responsible for southeastern Afghanistan, reported in a post on X that Afghan border forces and Pakistani troops exchanged light- and heavy-weapons fire in Dand Patan district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province. The corps claimed that Pakistani forces fired first and Taliban forces suffered no casualties. Citing local sources, the independent Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported that clashes also occurred in Aryob Zazi district, forcing some residents to flee their homes. Casualties there remain unclear. The latest round of fighting followed a September 18 complex suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan that killed 31 people and injured more than 100. Ittehad ul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), a militant alliance formed in April 2025 that includes the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and other factions with roots in the TTP, claimed responsibility. Pakistan blames the Taliban for providing safe haven to the TTP, IMP, and other militant groups, fueling intermittent fighting between the two former allies. Before the latest border clashes, the eighth Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan meeting ended on October 5 without a joint statement because of disagreements between Pakistan and the Taliban. The Russian-led platform focuses on regional cooperation concerning Afghanistan. Senior officials from Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan attended this year’s meeting, with Belarus and Egypt participating as guests. According to Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, the Taliban objected to the draft statement’s repeated references to Afghanistan in connection with terrorism. Kabulov said Moscow found the objection surprising because the previous year’s statement included similar language. He also emphasized that the Moscow Format was not intended to resolve bilateral disputes. “Russia stands ready to help end this conflict using all possible means and acting independently or together with other partners if both parties ask for it,” Kabulov told reporters. Speaking at the meeting, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said tensions with Pakistan could be resolved through diplomacy. He accused Islamabad of relying on military force and pressure rather than political engagement, and claimed Pakistani attacks violated international law. Pakistani Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq said Islamabad would “take all appropriate measures” to protect its citizens from threats originating in Afghanistan. He defended Pakistan’s cross-border operations as legitimate acts of self-defense. “Pakistan reiterates its strong resolve and determination to uproot the menace of terrorism emanating from across the border. We call upon the Afghan authorities to end the impunity with which terrorist groups continue to operate from their soil,” Sadiq said. On October 11, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and suspended its government, placing the province under the authority of the federally appointed governor. The federal cabinet accused the provincial government, led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, of disengaging from the fight against terrorism. The decision came a week after protests calling for Khan’s release and ahead of a planned march on Islamabad. Separately, on October 12, Afghan media reported that Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, had called for investigations into Pakistani attacks that may constitute war crimes. He also urged the International Criminal Court to investigate. “I have called for a full and independent investigation into these incidents because they may constitute war crimes. The victims and their families deserve accountability and justice,” Bennett said. On October 5, the ICC had unsealed arrest warrants for four senior Taliban members accused of crimes against humanity. Will Selber is a retired US CENTCOM foreign area officer with over 4 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the owner of Grumpy Combat Veteran on Substack.