An exchange of fire between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

Pakistani forces and members of the Afghan Taliban exchanged fire at several locations along the northwestern border of Pakistan on Saturday.

Pakistani security officials and state media said that Pakistani forces, supported by artillery fire, destroyed Taliban positions, the Associated Press reported.

Officials also reported that Pakistani forces killed an unspecified number of Pakistani Taliban militants as they attempted to cross into Pakistani territory from a remote area in eastern Afghanistan during the clashes.

According to three Pakistani security officials - who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have permission to speak to the media - the fighting continued for hours along the border in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated in light of repeated border clashes and air strikes launched by Pakistan inside Afghan territory this year, deepening a long-standing conflict over the activities of armed groups.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported in September that it had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries as a result of cross-border violence in Afghanistan during the current year.

Pakistan has seen a surge in violence committed by militants in recent months, much of it blamed on the Pakistani Taliban (also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), a group separate from but closely allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan claims that many of the leaders and militants of this movement have found safe haven in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021, an allegation that Kabul denies.

Pakistani authorities indicate that more than 2,800 attacks have been launched by militants since January, killing 3,000 people across Pakistan, most of which were concentrated in the northwestern regions and Balochistan province in the southwest.