2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes

2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes
Part of Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes – Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Insurgency in Balochistan
The international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Date First phase: 16 March – 19 March 2024 Second phase: 25 December 2024 – present Location North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Wana, Dera Ismail Khan, Gwadar, Turbat, Shangla, Khost, Paktika, and along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border Result Initial de-escalation followed by a renewal of conflict
Belligerents
Afghanistan Pakistani Taliban (supported by Afghanistan per Pakistan) BLA (alleged)	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Hibatullah Akhundzada Hasan Akhund Noor Wali Mehsud Sehra alias Janan † Abdullah Mehsud Bashir Zeb	Asif Ali Zardari Shehbaz Sharif General Asim Munir Zaheer Ahmad Babar Adm. Naveed Ashraf
Units involved
Afghan Armed Forces Afghan army Pakistani Taliban militants Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad Group BLA militants Majeed brigades	Pakistan Armed Forces Pakistan Army XI Corps XII Corps Pakistan Air Force Pakistan Navy PNS Siddique Pakistan Naval Air Arm Frontier Corps Inter-Services Intelligence
Casualties and losses
First phase: 61 killed or wounded (Pakistani claim) Second phase: 69 killed	First phase: 27 killed or wounded Second phase: 17 killed
Total civilian casualties: First phase: 62 killed or wounded Second phase: Unknown reportedly dozens of civilian casualties in Afghanistan

The 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes are a series of ongoing armed clashes consisting of cross-border airstrikes and exchanges of gunfire between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The conflict also separately includes the BLA, and Pakistani Taliban. The skirmishes took place over many locations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, including North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Wana, Dera Ismail Khan, Shangla, Khost, and Paktika. Subsequent attacks were also launched in Turbat and Gwadar in Balochistan province, by the Balochistan Liberation Army. Militant attacks on CPEC and Pakistani military bases accommodating US aircraft pose a threat to Chinese and American interests in Pakistan. After de-escalation in March 2024, the conflict resurged in December 2024 with Pakistani airstrikes against Afghanistan, specifically in Paktika Province.

These skirmishes mark the second round of air strikes by Pakistan on the sovereign soil of Afghanistan in a period less than two years. The first similar Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil came in 2022.

Background

Main articles: Afghanistan–Pakistan relations and International relations with the Taliban

While Pakistan has been accused of supporting the Afghan Taliban in the past, after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Afghanistan and Pakistan have repeatedly broken out border conflicts. The Pakistani government accuses the Afghan Taliban authorities of harboring the Pakistani Taliban rebels in its growing insurgency.

North Waziristan attack

On 16 March 2024, militants detonated a truck bomb and fired at Pakistani soldiers at a border checkpost. Five Pakistani soldiers were killed in the truck bombing, and two more were killed in the firing. Six attackers were also killed, according to Pakistan Army, who stated that the attackers used Afghanistan as a base for the attack. A militant group known as Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad took responsibility for the attack; Pakistani officials believe the members to be part of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Afghanistan led by the Taliban denied that the perpetrators were from their territory. On 17 March 2024, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari vowed strong retaliation against perpetrators of the attack.

Khost and Paktika airstrikes

March airstrikes

On 18 March 2024, in response to the attack from Afghanistan, Pakistan Air Force carried out two intelligence based airstrikes on Afghanistan's eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika. The Afghan government claim that Pakistan killed five women and three children. Pakistan denies this, claiming that it killed terrorists instead while targeting the Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, a splinter organization of the Pakistani Taliban, and that it had successfully killed Sehra alias Janan, a high-value target commander. Another commander, Abdullah Mehsud, was claimed to have been killed, but later released a video refuting the claim. It was also reported that Mehsud's house was targeted in which his wife and a minor son was killed. Pakistan went on to blame the Pakistani Taliban and its splinter militias for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani civilians, and claimed that they used Afghanistan as a base and that they had support from within the Taliban.

December airstrikes

On 21 December, At least 16 soldiers are killed in an attack by the Pakistani Taliban on an outpost in South Waziristan, eight insurgents were also killed in the clash. On 25 December 2024, the Pakistan Air Force launched precision airstrikes in response to the 21 December attack, on seven locations located across four villages of Barmal District of Afghanistan Paktika province initially claiming to have killing 20-25 terrorists. The villages targeted by PAF included Laman, Margha, and Murg Bazaar. Reports indicate that the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal was completely destroyed. The airstrikes took four High Value Targets(HVTs) that included terrorists camps and hideouts of key commanders, these included the compound of senior ranking Commander of TTP, Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar's hideout, the Commander Abu Hamza's recruitment camp and Akhtar Muhammad alias Khalil suicide bombers" training camp. All of these commanders were using camps for recruitment and training young child suicide bombers and terrorists. The fourth target struck by PAF was the "Umar Media" centre of TTP, being headed by the TTP's commander Shoaib Iqbal alias Muneeb Jatt, from where the TTP propagated its digital propaganda. Afghan Taliban's Defence Ministry, the Afghan Taliban regime official spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakis­tani forces, but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians. The PAF's strikes mark third instance of Pakistan launching attack on Afghan soil since the fall of Kabul. The Pakistan airstrikes coincided the birthday of Pakistan's founder. The Afghan Government reported that 46 people had been killed and 6 wounded, with the casualties including children.

Land border clashes

March skirmishes

In response to the airstrikes, the Afghan Defense Ministry stated it was targeting numerous Pakistani positions across the border. Mortar firing from the Afghan side injured more than four civilians and three military personnel in Kurram District. A Pakistani captain was also killed and 2 other soldiers injured by the shelling. Taliban officials did not disclose their losses, however, the local Afghans reported the death of a soldier of the Afghan army in the clashes. Skirmishes were also reported in the hilly areas surrounding the Angoor Adda border crossing of South Waziristan but no casualties were reported . It was also reported that in the areas around Wanna, the artillery munitions struck close to the bunkers on both sides of the border but no casualties were reported.

December skirmishes

On 26 December 2024, Afghan and Pakistani forces heavily skirmished on the Dande Pattan-Kurram Border but no casualties or damages were reported by their side. On 27 December 2024, Frontier Corps of Pakistan and Taliban border guards heavily skirmished in the Dand-e-Patan district and Kurram district on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The fighting, which reportedly began around 1 a.m. local time on Dec. 27, lasted for several hours, with both sides exchanging heavy fire. Pakistani forces launched a heavy rocket attack which struck civilian homes and inflicted serious damage on the border posts of Taliban border Guards. On 28 December 2024, skirmishes again broke out in at least two locations of Pak-Afghan border in Kurram District as the Afghan Defence Ministry claimed to have attacked "several points" across the border with Pakistan, these attacks resulted in the death of one Pakistani soldier and wounding of seven more. Then, Pakistani forces retaliated by launching mortar and small arms strikes on Afghan positions killing 5 Afghan personnel and wounding 3 more in a mortar strike. In total, Pakistani forces retaliation killed 15 TTP militants and Afghan Taliban and also forcing Afghan Taliban to abandon six posts, it was reported that there were no fatalities on the Pakistani side with three soldiers sustaining injuries.

Subsequent attacks

Gwadar attack

On March 20, separatist militants belonging to Balochistan Liberation Army attacked the Gwadar port complex. The attack failed due to the rapid response of the Pakistani security forces. The clash killed eight BLA militants and two Pakistani soldiers. The Chief Minister of Balochistan claimed that the BLA attackers came from Afghanistan and were provided shelter by the Afghan government.

Dera Ismail Khan attack

On 22 March, a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a military convoy passing through Dera Ismail Khan; this attack resulted in the death of two Pakistani soldiers and wounding of 15 others. In response to this attack Pakistan vowed a strong retaliation against terrorism.

Turbat Naval base attack

On 25 March, Balochistan Liberation Army's Majeed Brigade attacked Pakistan's second largest Naval Base PNS Siddique in Turbat which houses American as well as Chinese aircraft. This attack was foiled by Pakistani Security forces. In this attack, 6 BLA militants were killed by the Frontier Corps outside the perimeter of the base while one Pakistani soldier was killed.

Shangla bombing

Main article: 2024 Shangla bombing

On 26 March 2024, in Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, a suicide bomber attacked a bus transporting five Chinese laborers and their Pakistani driver on their way to the Dasu Dam, killing all of them. Pakistan police detained more than 12 people, including some Afghan nationals. But the Taliban government in Afghanistan has repeatedly denied giving safe haven to militants.