WATCH | Viral Pakistan-Afghan attack videos include captured soldiers, Taliban's daring patrols and gunfights

Amid rising tensions along the Durand Line, the Taliban on Sunday claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed in overnight border operations, conducted in response to what it described as Islamabad’s repeated violations of Afghanistan’s territory and airspace.

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Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, injuring 30 personnel, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. The two neighbours have faced off on the border ever since the Pakistan Air Force carried out a strike in Kabul. While Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied the development, the the Taliban claimed that Pakistani jets dropped bombs in a market in the country’s east, apart from the capital.

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“The situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control, and illegal activities have been largely prevented... if the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s territorial integrity, our armed forces are fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders and will deliver a strong response,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul.

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Pakistan accuses Afghan authorities of harbouring members of the banned group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Islamabad says the group carries out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, and the PAF strikes were reportedly targeting the top brass of the militant group. However, Afghanistan denies the charge, saying it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.

 

Viral social media videos

 

Afghanistan's claim of having killed 58 rival soldiers came not long after Pakistani media reports claimed that the military had captured 19 border posts in response to the "unprovoked cross-border attacks." Many Taliban fighters present at these posts were killed, they claimed before giving any numbers, and added that survivors fled without offering any resistance.

The Pakistani army also completely destroyed the Taliban’s Manojba camp battalion headquarters, the reports added, before claiming that the overnight assault from the Afghan side was to distract Pakistani soldiers so that Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters could cross over unnoticed.

 

Meanwhile, many videos of the border clashes have been going viral on the internet. One such video, which THE WEEK couldn’t independently verify, showed militants inside an armoury, which many claimed belonged to the Pakistan Army. Those sharing the video also showed uniformed men forced to the ground, blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs. They were Pakistani army soldiers captured by the Taliban, it was claimed.

 

In another video, heavy fire was seen exchanged between the two sides. The machine gun fire was loud, and the fiery firefight lit up the night sky. A large number of soldiers fleeing their camps were also shared virally, claiming to show Pakistani soldiers running away after the Afghans launched retaliatory strikes.

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