Islamabad says 12 Pakistani soldiers dead in clashes with Afghanistan

Pakistan on Friday said its 12 soldiers were killed and another 27 injured in the border clashes with Afghan forces.

Addressing a news conference, the army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said that one soldier was missing.

He claimed that some 274 "Afghan Taliban regime operatives and terrorists" were killed and around 400 others injured in clashes and "coordinated" air strikes by Pakistan Air Force in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces, which "made sure no civilians were targeted."

The airstrikes, he added, targeted corps, battalion, and sector headquarters, as well as ammunition and logistic bases of the Afghan forces.

Chaudhry said that the Afghan side opened fire and physical raids in 15 sectors at 53 places along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, claiming: "73 Afghan posts along the border were destroyed, while 18 posts were captured."

He added that some 115 Afghan forces' tanks and vehicles were also destroyed.

Pakistan "acted in self-defense," Chaudhry stressed.

Addressing the Afghan government, he asked Kabul to make a "clear choice" between the Pakistani state and terrorist organizations.

Earlier, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said at least eight Afghan soldiers were killed on Thursday in the border clashes, while Kabul also claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

Independent verification of the claims on both sides is challenging due to the ongoing clashes.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have seen fierce clashes since Thursday night.

At least 24 people were killed, including four civilians, 12 Pakistani soldiers, and eight Afghan troops across the border.

Kabul on Thursday announced it launched border attacks against Pakistan over airstrikes on Sunday by Islamabad inside Afghanistan, which left many dead. Pakistan responded with heavy fire and fresh airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces early Friday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has imposed an immediate nationwide ban on all drone operations, citing a heightened security environment and ongoing counter-terror operations, according to Pakistani private broadcaster Dunya News.