Pakistan -Afghanistan-border clashes erupt between forces from both sides, leaving dozens dead and hundreds wounded [Image by The Friday Times]
(The Post News)– Tariq Ahmed always keeps his gun within arm’s length. Perched cross-legged on a hand-woven charpai outside his house close to Peshawar, 26-year-old constable Tariq Ahmed covers his face with a scarf and gazes out into the dusty alleys with tense, darting eyes.
His uncle, Constable Shehan Shah, was gunned down a few months back by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) when he was on his way to work. Two mask-wearing men on a motorbike followed Shah through the streets and shot him dead when he struggled.
“Taliban informants are everywhere,” Ahmed stated. “They know who the police officers take part in raids. We no longer trust anybody.”
TTP Attacks Intensify
Militant raids have surged across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan’s northwestern province sharing an Afghanistan border. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said that the TTP had more than 600 attacks in 2025 alone, a record ten-year high.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) has documented a 75% increase in the past three months in militant violence. Police, paramilitary personnel, and civilians are all being targeted as militants continue to target them. “They move around in the villages,” said North Waziristan political leader Nisar Ali. “We see them on motorbikes with guns, day and night. The army stays indoors, but the militants move around outside.”
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has emerged again after the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul in 2021. Defeated once in a major counter-terrorism exercise, the organization has once again become robust, well-funded, and equipped with newer weapons.
“The surge in TTP attacks is parallel to the Taliban’s return to power,” ACLED senior analyst Pearl Pandya reported. “The Afghan Taliban let out hundreds of TTP combatants and allowed new training camps to function.”
Pakistani officials accuse the Afghan government of providing refuge to the TTP leadership, including Noor Wali Mehsud. The Kabul administration denies the claim, calling the charges “politically motivated.” “The militants now use night-vision technology, American-style rifles, and drones,” said Muhammad Ali Saif, an adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister. “They are better trained and much more deadly.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan clashed in their deadliest border battles in years over the weekend. The Taliban claimed they had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers and taken 25 army posts, while Islamabad reported 23 troops were killed and over 200 Afghan militants were killed.
Pakistan apparently carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including near the capital Kabul, at suspected TTP hideouts. In retaliation, Taliban militants stormed Pakistani posts late last night. The shootouts forced Pakistan to close border crossings, halting trade and stranding hundreds of trucks on both sides. The two governments called for restraint later, but military units remain on high alert.
Regional Powers Call for Calm
Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar all called for restraint after the violence along the border. Moscow said it was “closely following” events, while Beijing called for “dialogue and de-escalation.”
The Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship has deteriorated since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Islamabad blames Kabul for providing a haven for the TTP, while Afghanistan blames Pakistan for encroaching on its sovereignty by launching cross-border raids.
“Pakistan’s failure to hold militants in Afghanistan at bay resulted in this crisis,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist in Washington. “Now the threat of TTP retaliation within Pakistan is greater than ever.” With growing insecurity, Pakistan has sent more than 800,000 Afghan refugees back on the pretext that they serve as cover for militants, a move that heightens animosity with Kabul.
For police officers like Tariq Ahmed, fear never eases. “Every time I go out, I wonder whether I will come back,” he said, tightly clutching his gun. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the border burns and militant attacks rise, many Pakistanis fear the return of a dark chapter they thought was long behind them.
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