UPDATE 2 - 2 Pakistani soldiers killed in Afghanistan ‘retaliation’ as border tensions flare up

UPDATES AS PAKISTAN SAYS 2 SOLDIERS KILLED, CLAIMS CASUALTIES ON AFGHAN SIDE, ADDS MORE DETAILS

By Sidrah Roghay and Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA)—At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three others injured on Thursday when Afghanistan launched what Kabul called a “retaliatory operation” across the border, a Pakistani minister confirmed.

Afghan government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fiteat claimed Afghan forces “killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, seized 23 bodies,” according to Kabul-based Tolo News.

However, Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarrar also claimed 36 fatalities on the Afghan side.

​​​​​​​Anadolu could not independently confirm reports of casualties on both sides of the border.

Earlier, Fitrat said the Taliban government had launched border strikes in response to last week's attacks by Pakistan.

"In response to the continued aggressions of Pakistan’s military regime, extensive retaliatory offensive operations have commenced against Pakistani military centres and installations along the Durand Line,” he said on US social media company X.

In Islamabad, Pakistan's Information Ministry said Kabul had launched military operations, dubbing them as "unprovoked action," which was met with an "immediate and effective" response.

As of the latest reports, fighting is ongoing at various sectors along the Durand Line, a porous border between the two neighbors.

The latest border clashes come after Pakistan said it carried out airstrikes last week in Afghanistan, killing 70 “terrorists.”

Afghan officials said dozens of civilians were killed and vowed retaliation.

The UN mission in Kabul said 17 civilians were killed in the airstrikes.

- Pakistan denies attacking civilians

Earlier on Thursday, Pakistan denied that any civilians were killed in Sunday's strikes on Afghanistan and only “terrorist” hideouts were targeted.

“We exercised utmost caution to prevent any harm to civilians,” Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said about the airstrikes.

Responding to a question on Qatar's possible role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, spokesman Andrabi said during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Doha early this week, “regional issues were discussed, including possibly Afghanistan.”

“This is what I can confirm at this stage,” he told reporters on Thursday.

***Soon after the border clashes, Pakistan's Foreign Office reported a phone call between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Qatar's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi.

***Whether the two officials discussed the latest border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan remains unclear.

***There was no immediate statement from Doha about the phone call.

Pakistan has experienced a surge in terrorist incidents in recent months, much of it attributed to the Pakistani Taliban and banned Baloch separatist groups.

Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban of operating from Afghanistan, a charge the Taliban-led government in Kabul has repeatedly denied.