Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed after crossing from Pakistan as Islamabad denies involvement

Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry said its forces killed 28 fighters in Nuristan province on Sunday after the group crossed the border from Pakistan. Kabul alleged that the fighters included former Afghan security personnel recruited by Pakistani intelligence and members of ISIL supported by Pakistani militias.

Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected the allegations as “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth”. It denied that Pakistani security forces or intelligence agencies were involved in the clashes, had recruited or trained former Afghan personnel, or had helped armed groups enter Afghanistan. Islamabad called on the Taliban government to take “credible and verifiable action” against organisations using Afghan territory to attack Pakistan.

The clash came amid rising cross-border tensions. Pakistan carried out strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, saying the sites had been used to store and launch drones involved in attacks across the border. An Afghan Taliban spokesman said those strikes killed at least four people and promised an “appropriate response”.

Separately, a suicide attacker detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday. Authorities reported at least 11 deaths, while Al Jazeera put the toll at 12. About 30 people were wounded, according to Deutsche Welle. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed responsibility.