Suicide attack kills 7 Pakani troops near Afghan border, security officials say | World News
Residents remove debris from a house damaged Wednesday’s two drone strikes, in Kabul, Afghanan, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
Seven Pakani soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border on Friday, Pakani security officials said, amid a fragile ceasefire between Islamabad and Kabul that paused days of intense fighting between the former allies this month.
The South Asian neighbours engaged in fierce ground fighting, and Pakan also launched airstrikes across their contested frontier, killing dozens and wounding hundreds, before they reached a 48-hour truce that is due to end at 1300 GMT on Friday.
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The soldiers were killed in an attack militants on a Pakani military camp in north Waziran, which also left 13 injured, five security officials said.
While one militant rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the boundary wall of a fort that served as a military camp, two others tried to get into the facility and were shot dead, they said. Pakan’s army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Militant violence in Pakan has been a major irritant in its relationship with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul after the departure of US-led forces in 2021.
The latest conflict between the two countries was triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in militants who had stepped up attacks in Pakan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanan.
Pakani Prime Miner Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakan “retaliated” as it lost patience with Afghanan following a series of militant attacks, but was ready to hold talks to resolve the conflict.
The Taliban denies the charge and accuses the Pakani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering ISIS-linked militants to undermine its stability and sovereignty. Islamabad denies the accusations.
Although the Islamic nations have clashed in the past, the fighting this month is their worst in decades. It has drawn the attention of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have mediated and sought to stop the fighting. US President Donald Trump has said he can help resolve the conflict.
