Afghanistan’s Taliban-led Defense Ministry announced that its forces carried out attacks across multiple areas of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to the ministry’s statement, 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and several others were captured alive during the operation. The statement also claimed that Afghan forces seized hundreds of light and heavy weapons and took control of two Pakistani army headquarters and 19 checkpoints.

The ministry reported that eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded in the clashes. It said the operation was launched in response to recent airstrikes by the Pakistani government inside Afghan territory. The statement did not specify the exact locations or timing of the attacks.

The announcement marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with both sides trading claims of cross-border assaults. The situation has drawn regional attention as both countries accuse each other of violating sovereignty.