The border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan have entered their eleventh consecutive day, with both sides accusing each other of inflicting heavy casualties. According to Taliban claims, 307 Pakistani soldiers have been killed and more than 350 others wounded. The Taliban have also resorted to forced conscription of civilians and former military personnel, and on Friday, compelled several citizens, including children, to participate in anti-Pakistan demonstrations in support of their fighters. Pakistan, for its part, has announced that at least 527 Taliban fighters have been killed and 755 wounded, with 237 Taliban outposts and 38 of the group’s checkpoints either captured or destroyed by Pakistani forces. The United Nations and human rights organizations have warned of rising civilian casualties, a deteriorating humanitarian situation, and the displacement of more than 118,000 people along the border between the two countries. They have called for an immediate halt to hostilities and for the resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomatic means. Meanwhile, Russia and Malaysia have urged both sides to exercise restraint and bring the fighting to an immediate end.
The fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan has continued beyond the tenth day. During this period, the Pakistani military carried out aerial and ground operations, while the Taliban attacked Pakistani border posts. Both sides have claimed to have inflicted significant losses on each other.
Taliban Claims on Pakistani Casualties
Inayatullah Khwarazmi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense, announced yesterday that over the course of a single day, 28 positions along the border with Pakistan came under offensive attacks, resulting in the deaths of 109 Pakistani soldiers and the wounding of 148 others. According to him, Taliban forces launched extensive “offensive and assault operations” against Pakistani troops in the provinces of Kandahar, Nangarhar, Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika along the border. He claimed that Taliban fighters attacked 28 positions along the border and seized and destroyed 14 Pakistani military outposts.
Khwarazmi stated on Friday that in Thursday’s operations, three Taliban fighters were killed and three others wounded. He added that seven civilians were also killed and 13 others wounded in the clashes.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson further stated that since the start of the group’s conflict with Pakistan, 10 Pakistani army military vehicles have been destroyed and “hundreds of light and heavy weapons” have fallen into Taliban hands. He also said that 64 outposts and seven bases belonging to Pakistani forces have been seized and destroyed by the Taliban. According to him, a total of 307 Pakistani soldiers have been killed and more than 350 others wounded since the fighting began. He also claimed that two Pakistani reconnaissance drones were shot down by the Taliban on Thursday night.
Pakistan’s Claims on Taliban Casualties
Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, announced yesterday that at least 527 Taliban fighters have been killed and 755 members of the group wounded since the start of the fighting. He said a total of 62 locations across Afghanistan have been targeted in Pakistani strikes. On the eleventh day of clashes with the Taliban, he announced that 237 Taliban outposts had been destroyed and 38 of the group’s checkpoints seized by Pakistani forces. The Pakistani official also stated that 205 Taliban tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces have been destroyed by Pakistani forces.
Forced Conscription by the Taliban
Sources from various provinces report that the Taliban, amid the ongoing fighting, have turned to forced conscription, compelling several young men, former military personnel, and even some of their own forces to be deployed to border areas in the war against Pakistan. Sources say the Taliban have also forced some citizens to take part in protests against Pakistan. Videos of these protests, which the Taliban have published as “popular demonstrations,” have also become a source of mockery and satire among social media users. In one of the published videos, participants are seen chanting the slogan “Death to the enemies of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
The Taliban have also held meetings with local and tribal elders and influential community figures in various provinces across the country, urging them to encourage and mobilize people to fight against Pakistan.
Reactions from the United Nations and Human Rights Organizations
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced in a report on Friday that 56 civilians have been killed and 129 others wounded as a result of the armed clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban. According to UNAMA, 55 percent of civilian casualties in these clashes are women and children. The report states that from the evening of February 26 to March 5, 2026, a total of 185 civilian casualty incidents were recorded and confirmed in Afghanistan. These individuals were killed or wounded as a result of airstrikes and border fighting.
UNAMA’s report notes that in one incident in the Barmal district of Paktika province, 14 civilians were killed in Pakistani airstrikes. Among those killed were four women, two girls, five boys, and three men. Six others were also wounded, including two women, one girl, two boys, and one man. According to UNAMA, the number of civilians killed in the current fighting exceeds the casualty figures recorded during the border clashes of October 2025, in which 47 civilians were killed and 456 others wounded.
UNAMA has called on both parties to take immediate measures to protect civilians and has stressed that the parties to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law regarding civilian protection.
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern over the escalation of border clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban and called on both sides to immediately end hostilities and prioritize dialogue. In a statement on Friday, he stressed that the continuation of the fighting is deepening the suffering of civilians on both sides of the border. Türk urged the Pakistani military and the Taliban to immediately halt the fighting and attend to the millions of people who depend on humanitarian assistance for survival.
Mr. Türk stated: “Civilians on both sides of the border are now forced to flee airstrikes, heavy artillery, mortar fire, and shooting. I urge all parties to immediately end this conflict and prioritize assistance to those in extremely dire circumstances.” He further emphasized: “The cycle of retaliation and violence only deepens the suffering of ordinary people.” The UN official called on Pakistan and the Taliban to de-escalate tensions and resolve their security concerns through dialogue, negotiation, and cooperation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced last Thursday that approximately 118,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces. According to the report, 115,000 people have been registered as internally displaced persons in Afghanistan’s border provinces, while the number of displaced persons in Pakistan stands at approximately 3,000. The organization noted that the situation along the border between the two countries remains tense.
At the same time, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s office for Afghanistan announced on Friday that the fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan has forced the closure of at least 21 classes under the organization’s supervision in Khost province. According to the organization, the closure of classes has disrupted the learning of 620 students. The organization stated in a note that educational centers, students, and civilians must never be targeted, and called for an immediate halt to the fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan.
This comes as Naseer Ahmad Faiq, the acting Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, referred to the latest UNAMA report and said that such human losses are “unacceptable.” He stressed that the protection of civilians must be upheld within the framework of international law, without exception.
Russia and Malaysia Call for Resolution of Tensions Through Dialogue
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a telephone call on Friday with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, emphasized the need to reduce military and political tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced that during the call, both sides exchanged views on the regional situation, including “the negative and destabilizing consequences of the attack on Iran.” According to the ministry, Lavrov stressed the necessity of resolving the differences between the Taliban and Pakistan through political and diplomatic means and urged both sides to exercise restraint. He also warned that tensions between the two parties would undermine peace and stability in the region.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that Amir Khan Muttaqi held a telephone conversation with Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Qatar. According to the Taliban, the two sides discussed regional developments, the fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan, tensions related to US and Israeli strikes against Iran, and ways to strengthen diplomatic cooperation. The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Amir Khan Muttaqi described Pakistan’s attacks on Afghan soil as “aggression.”
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in separate telephone calls with Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban’s Prime Minister, and Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, called on both sides to exercise restraint. He stressed that military operations have so far left hundreds dead on both sides of the conflict and must be stopped immediately.
The Malaysian Prime Minister added that his country supports the resolution of the tensions through dialogue and diplomatic channels in order to prevent a prolonged conflict. He said the fighting has only increased the suffering of the people and will undermine peace and stability in the region.
Criticism Over Use of American Weapons Against Pakistan
US Congressman Ryan Zinke expressed anger and concern over the Taliban’s use of American-made weapons. Referring to the Taliban-Pakistan clashes, he said Taliban fighters are attacking with American Humvees and M16 rifles and killing innocent people. According to the congressman, the Biden administration left approximately seven billion dollars’ worth of military equipment in Taliban hands.
Zinke stressed that these weapons and American military technology were meant to be used in the service of freedom, but are now being used for terrorist purposes, and that this should disgust every veteran and every justice-minded American citizen.
Previously, Pakistan and several other organizations had also expressed concern over the Taliban’s use of weapons left behind by the United States, stating that these weapons have also ended up in the hands of other terrorist groups.
Supporters of both the Taliban and Pakistan in Afghanistan and Pakistan have continued to share propaganda videos against each other. Among them, a propaganda video circulating on Pakistani social media that referred to Afghanistan and its people in a “sarcastic” tone has drawn criticism. The video, titled “Acha Ji,” meaning “Oh really? Is that so?”, spread widely across social media and has been primarily criticized by Pakistani users themselves, who called it “discriminatory.” Some users also said such videos spread hatred. The video was initially posted on the social media platform X by Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s media coordinator and was subsequently reshared by the country’s Minister of Information.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
درگیریهای خونین؛ غیرنظامیان گروگان بازی قدرت طالبان وپاکستان
