Amid the Afghan-Pakistan conflict, Taliban spokesperson Zabeehullah Mujahid claimed on Sunday that Taliban forces killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers. He said that more than 30 were wounded in retaliatory strikes near the Durand Line in Behrampur district. Mujahid also warned that Afghanistan would not leave any attack unanswered and accused Pakistan of allowing ISIS members to hide inside its borders.

Mujahid claimed that Pakistan had ignored the presence of ISIS fighters on its soil. He said Afghanistan has the right to protect its land and air borders and demanded that Pakistan either expel or hand over important ISIS members hiding there. According to him, ISIS poses a threat to many countries, including Afghanistan.

The Taliban spokesman added that the Islamic Emirate had cleared troublemakers from its own territory, but new training centres had been set up in Pashtunkhwa. He said recruits were brought to these centres using flights through Karachi and Islamabad, and that some attacks against Afghanistan were planned from these places. Mujahid said there is “documented evidence” of these activities.

Defending the strikes, Mujahid said Taliban forces captured a large amount of weapons. He also said that more than 20 Taliban fighters were killed or wounded in the clashes. He warned that anyone who attacks Afghanistan or violates its airspace would face a harsh response.

Mujahid said the airstrikes stopped after requests from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, three explosions happened in Afghanistan on Thursday, two in Kabul and one in Paktika province. The Taliban blamed Islamabad for those blasts and said Pakistan had violated Afghan sovereignty. Pakistan did not confirm responsibility but urged Kabul to stop sheltering the Pakistani Taliban.

In response to the attacks, Afghan forces targeted Pakistani posts along the border in several provinces, including Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar, and Kunar. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strikes. He said the Pakistani army “gave a befitting reply” and destroyed several Taliban posts, forcing fighters to retreat. The prime minister warned that Pakistan’s defence would not be compromised and said every provocation would be met with a strong response.