Sun Mar 23 15:07:22 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan Kills 16 Fighters in Border Clash, Urges Afghanistan to Secure Border
**ISLAMABAD** – Pakistani security forces killed sixteen armed fighters in a border clash overnight, the army announced Sunday. The incident occurred in North Waziristan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, during an attempted infiltration across the Afghanistan border. The army statement claimed all attackers were killed in the exchange of fire, adding that Pakistani troops successfully thwarted the incursion.
This action comes as Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, is in Kabul for a two-day visit focused on bilateral and economic issues. The timing is significant given the increasingly strained relationship between the two countries.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of failing to control the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for hundreds of attacks within Pakistan’s borders. The army statement reiterated Pakistan’s call for the Afghan government to improve border security to prevent cross-border attacks.
Over 500 attacks have been recorded in Pakistan in 2024 alone, resulting in over 1500 casualties among civilians and law enforcement personnel. Pakistan blames the TTP, which it considers an ally of the Afghan Taliban, for much of this violence. While the Afghan Taliban denies providing shelter to the TTP, Islamabad maintains that Kabul’s failure to address the issue fuels instability in the region. The recent clash underscores the ongoing security concerns along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the deteriorating relationship between the two nations.
First Piper 