Energy News
THE STANS
Pakistan-Afghan border crossings closed after heavy clashes
Pakistan-Afghan border crossings closed after heavy clashes
by AFP Staff Writers
Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Oct 12, 2025
Key border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan were closed on Sunday after fierce clashes erupted overnight following Taliban accusations that Islamabad had carried out air strikes this week, officials said.

Neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan have had frosty relations since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad accuses authorities there of harbouring militants carrying out strikes on its soil, an accusation Afghanistan denies.

Afghanistan's Taliban forces attacked Pakistani soldiers along their shared border on Saturday night, accusing Islamabad of violating its sovereignty after explosions were heard in Kabul and in the southeast two days earlier.

Officials from both sides of the border told AFP that crossings at Torkham, which connects Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Nangarhar in Afghanistan, and Chaman, more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the southwest, were closed.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif condemned what he said were "provocations by Afghanistan" along Pakistan's border area overnight.

"There will be no compromise on Pakistan's defence, and every provocation will be met with a strong and effective response," Sharif said in a statement, accusing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan of allowing their land to be used by "terrorist elements".

- Border crossings 'sealed' -

A senior Pakistani official in Torkham told AFP extra paramilitary troops had been sent to the area, which sits on the border between Kabul and Islamabad.

"The Torkham border has been completely closed for pedestrian movement and trade," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"Security forces have also pulled out all civilian staff posted at the border, so they are not harmed in case of further firing," he said.

Another Pakistani border official at Chaman, which links Balochistan province with Kandahar, the birthplace of the Afghan Taliban, said the crossing was "sealed".

Other Pakistani officials said there had been clashes using heavy weapons in at least four border districts but there had been no casualties on its side.

The Afghan military said on Saturday night Taliban forces were engaged "in heavy clashes against Pakistani security forces in various areas".

Taliban defence ministry spokesman Enayat Khowarazm later told AFP that the "successful" operations had ended at midnight.

Several border security officials told AFP that no further clashes had been reported on Sunday morning.

Militancy has surged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.

The TTP, separate to the Afghan Taliban but which shares the same ideology and is trained in combat in Afghanistan, and its allies are accused by Islamabad of killing hundreds of its soldiers since 2021.

Islamabad has not confirmed that it was behind Thursday's strikes that sparked the border clashes.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar have urged both sides to "exercise restraint".

TTP militants have intensified their campaign of violence against Pakistani security forces in the mountainous areas bordering Afghanistan in recent months.

More than 500 people, including 311 troops and 73 policemen, have been killed in attacks between January and September 15, a military spokesman said on Friday.

A UN report this year said the TTP "receive substantial logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities", referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament on Thursday that several efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop backing the TTP had failed.

"Enough is enough," he said. "The Pakistani government and army's patience has run out."

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
THE STANS
China's President Xi makes rare visit to Xinjiang
Beijing (AFP) Sept 23, 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping began a rare visit Tuesday to the northwest region of Xinjiang, home to numerous ethnic groups including Turkic-speaking Uyghurs, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The vast territory borders several countries, including Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Xi arrived in the regional capital Urumqi to attend celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Xinhua reported. He met with representatives ... read more

THE STANS
Carmakers seek EU emissions ban rethink with biofuel push

Bio-oil from agricultural and forest waste could help seal abandoned oil wells and store carbon

Pretreatment methods bring second-gen biofuels from oilcane closer to commercialization

Ash improves methane yield and fertilizer value in biogas systems

THE STANS
Solar powered leaf shows path to defossilised chemical industry

Inorganic perovskite solar cells near market readiness with record efficiency and stability

University of Sydney team achieves global record for large triple-junction perovskite solar cell

Solar power leads the global energy transition as costs plunge to record lows

THE STANS
Danish wind giant Orsted to cut workforce by a quarter

French-German duo wins mega offshore wind energy project

Wind giant Orsted to resume US project after court win

Floating wind power sets sail in Japan's energy shift

THE STANS
'Cynical' Russian attack batters Ukraine energy grid, kills 7-year-old

Russian attack batters Ukraine energy grid, kills 7-year-old

Under promise, over deliver? China unveils new climate goals

China steps into spotlight at UN climate talks

THE STANS
Soil microbe mineral battery stores sunlight to degrade antibiotics after dark

Compact fusion boom propels PLD REBCO tape production while spotlighting cost and stability hurdles

Lightning Strikes 12 Times a Minute Inside Zap Energy Fusion Platform

Physics informed AI forecasts safer tokamak rampdowns for future fusion plants

THE STANS
EU fines Greece over Zakynthos marine park landfill

Residents in southern Tunisia protest phosphate pollution

An Aussie tycoon bets billions on cleaning up iron ore giant

Dozens more Zambian farmers sue over toxic mining spill

THE STANS
ExxonMobil returns to Iraq with deal on major oil field

Venezuela ask for UN Security Council meet over US 'threats'

What Trump's Qatar security pledge means for Mideast

Solar driven process extracts hydrogen fuel directly from air moisture

THE STANS
Researchers ID new mineral on Mars, providing insight on potential early life

Technique Could Reveal Hidden Habitats on Moon and Mars

Wind driven rovers show promise for low cost Mars missions

NASA's ESCAPADE craft returns to Florida for fall mission to Mars

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.