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• Suggested slug: pakistan-army-retaliates-kurram-afghan-taliban-firing
• Category: National News
• Focus keyphrase: Pakistan army retaliates Afghan Taliban firing
• SEO title: Army Retaliates as Afghan Taliban Fire Across Border
• Meta description: Pakistan Army targeted Afghan Taliban posts in Kurram and Ghozgarhi with artillery after unprovoked cross-border firing on Saturday.
• Tags: Pakistan Army, Afghan Taliban, Kurram, border security, cross-border firing, Foreign Office, Ghozgarhi, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations
• Original element: verified update beyond the source item — the Foreign Office’s Friday briefing position (Sajjad Haider Khan on talks and the denied Russian mediation) plus our own prior border coverage as the data record
• Source: Express Tribune — https://tribune.com.pk/story/2635444/scores-of-taliban-killed-as-army-retaliates-border-fire
• Story date: 18 October 2026 (published 10:35 PKT)

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Army Retaliates as Afghan Taliban Fire Across Border

The Pakistan Army struck back with artillery and heavy weapons on Saturday after Afghan Taliban fighters opened unprovoked fire along the border in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kurram and Ghozgarhi sectors, state media reported.

Several Taliban personnel were reported killed in the retaliatory action, and the army said Taliban fighters abandoned at least one border post after coming under fire.

Posts targeted in Kurram and Ghozgarhi

Security sources said the army targeted the Afghan Taliban’s Topsar post and Shipola base camp in the Upper Kurram sector. The Shipola base camp was reportedly destroyed in the artillery strike.

The first exchange took place in Ghozgarhi, where Taliban personnel reportedly fled their positions and abandoned a post as Pakistani shells landed. Firing was continuing in the area, the sources added.

Later, after another bout of unprovoked firing in the Kurram sector, the army responded with heavy weapons. Several Taliban posts were destroyed in that round of retaliation, according to the sources, who said the fighters fled their positions.

The army remained alert and committed to defending the country’s borders and safeguarding national security, the sources said.

Taliban regime accused of assisting militants

Security sources said the Afghan Taliban regime was assisting militants, a charge Islamabad has repeated for months as cross-border attacks have continued.

Relations between the two neighbours have stayed strained in recent years. Pakistan has repeatedly voiced concern over cross-border terrorism planned from Afghan soil, and earlier coverage on this site has tracked the toll of the border fighting, including earlier clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier and the wider border war.

Security officials have put the number of Taliban regime personnel and terrorists killed in earlier operations in the hundreds, as reported after the ISPR chief’s briefing, while Pakistan has also taken its case to the United Nations over foreign backing for terror groups.

Foreign Office: talks cannot be unconditional

The border flare-up came a day after the Foreign Office set out Pakistan’s position on engagement with Kabul. At the weekly media briefing on Friday, spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said talks with Afghanistan could not be unconditional, but he rejected the suggestion that Islamabad was unwilling to engage.

“Pakistan is not shying away from discussions or dialogue, including with representatives of Afghanistan. Pakistan would welcome any sincere efforts by friendly countries that could help address our legitimate security concerns and promote regional peace and stability,” he said.

The statement followed Russia’s renewed offer to mediate between the two countries. Islamabad, however, denied that any such initiative was currently under discussion.

“At present, I am not aware of any separate, formal Russian mediation initiative being under discussion,” Khan said.

What happens next

No independent casualty figures were available, and the Afghan side had not commented on the exchanges at the time of reporting. The army said its units in the border districts remained on alert, and further retaliation was expected if firing resumed.

Frequently asked questions

Where did the firing take place?

In Upper Kurram and Ghozgarhi, along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, on Saturday, October 18.

What did the Pakistan Army target?

The Topsar post and the Shipola base camp in the Upper Kurram sector, using artillery fire. Shipola was reported destroyed, and several Taliban posts were hit in a later round of retaliation in the Kurram sector.

What is Pakistan’s position on talks with Afghanistan?

The Foreign Office said on Friday that talks could not be unconditional, but Pakistan was open to dialogue and would welcome sincere mediation efforts by friendly countries. It denied that a Russian mediation initiative was under discussion.