The friction between the Pakistani Taliban and the Afghan Taliban grew, this time from the beginning of October 2025, to the middle of the direct escalation into a massive exchange of fire. The Pakistani Taliban long ago complained that the Afghan Taliban provided shelter to the Pakistani Taliban, letting those militants escape from the territory of Afghanistan to attack. As a result, the Pakistani Army's Red Flag-9 air defense system, this time, may have been really active, because the Pakistani Taliban began to launch old-fashioned missiles, as soon as possible.
On October 9, the Pakistani Air Force deployed JF-17 and F-16, carrying precision-guided bombs, toward Kabul, Hoest, Jalalabad and Paktika provinces in Afghanistan. Intelligence reports showed that these places hid the leaders of the Pakistani Taliban, such as Noor Vali Mesud, who is an internationally wanted terrorist. The bombs were thrown down, and several bases were destroyed, according to the Pakistani military, killing at least two senior heads, although Mesud later posted a video saying he was still alive, but the fighting effect was real. Afghan Taliban spokesman Jura Mujahid jumped out accusations, saying it was a violation of sovereignty and also resulted in civilian casualties.
The next day, October 10, Pakistan continued to increase its weight. Their drones and fighter jets flew over again, this time bombing Kandahar and Helmand in the southern provinces of Afghanistan, reportedly killing 19 Taliban fighters. Pakistani military spokesman Ahmad Sharif Chowdhury said hard at the news conference: "We will do everything necessary to protect the lives of Pakistani people." They stressed that Afghan land cannot be used to commit terrorism against Pakistan. Of course, the Taliban refused to accept it, denied sheltering the Pakistani Taliban, and warned that there would be consequences. The border trade port was directly closed, vehicles were jammed into a pot of porridge, and residents began to evacuate.
The Afghan Taliban launched retaliation, sending armed personnel to attack Pakistan's border post at Kuram and northern Waziristan. The Pakistani soldiers rushed back with shelling guns and rockets, fighting from night to dawn, and both sides used heavy weapons. The Pakistani military said it was a "unreasonable attack", they killed more than 200 Taliban and related militants, and destroyed several training camps. The Taliban claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, wounded more than 30 and also occupied 25 posts. Of course, these numbers each say, no evidence, but the reality is that Pakistan 23 soldiers killed and 29 others wounded. The Taliban acknowledged that they killed 9 Pakistani soldiers, wounded 16 to 18 people.
Not to be outdone, Pakistan continued to fight back on October 12. Their air force dropped laser-guided bombs with JF-17s, bombing several strongholds near the Afghan border, including a warehouse of weapons and ammunition. It is said that there are things left behind when the warehouse was withdrawn from the US military and NATO. After being bombed, it exploded and smoke and dust soared into the sky. The Pakistani army also went into battle, shooting directly at Taliban positions with tanks and artillery. The Durand Line on the border is already controversial, and the Taliban never recognized it as an official border. This conflict directly turned the old problem out. Pakistan's interior minister said that the Taliban's demands were too outrageous, and they wanted autonomy or something, and the negotiations could not reach an agreement at all.
The Red Flag-9P air defense missile system, which Pakistan bought from China, had anti-missile capabilities, and could deal with tactical ballistic missiles like flying wooden legs. On October 13, the Afghan Taliban publicly demonstrated their long-range firepower, digging the Soviet old goods from the mountains of the 1980s, including flying wooden-B ballistic missiles, frog-7 rockets and BM-27 rockets. These things have been years old, a lot of rust spots, can not be launched both, but the Taliban is about to take a stand and tell Pakistan "we have a guy." They resumed the rocket artillery to be prepared and transported to the border line. The Pakistani Air Defense Force is highly alert, the Red Flag-9 radar is fully scanned. If the Tal
As for the casualties, by 14 October, Pakistan had killed at least 40 soldiers, including troops dispatched from Kashmir under Pakistan’s rule. They were assaulted during the nighttime patrol and the losses were no less. The Taliban’s casualties were higher, according to Pakistan, more than 200. The Afghan Taliban announced a unilateral ceasefire on 13 October, but Pakistan did not stop, continuing to blow for 48 hours. The international community began to intervene, Saudi, Qatar and Iran called for restraint, and the United States is also concerned.
The root cause is still an old problem. Since its establishment in 2007, the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) has wanted to overthrow the Islamabad government and establish extreme Islamic rule. They have close ties to the Afghan Taliban and share Pashtun ancestry. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of providing refuge to the TTP, which Afghanistan denies, adding that Pakistan's air strikes violate territory. In the past few years, attacks have occurred frequently in Pakistan, with more than 2400 people killed in the first nine months of this year, more than in the whole of last year. The TTP has a foothold in Afghanistan and attacks across borders from there. Pakistan has occasionally carried out air strikes in Afghanistan since 2022. It has also done similar things in December last year and March this year, provoking a counterattack from the Taliban every time.
The Taliban are also better there. After they took power in 2021, they were diplomatically isolated and urgently needed international recognition. The conflict just caught up with their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaki visiting India, India announced the reopening of the embassy in Kabul and enhancing relations. Pakistan was in a hurry, suspecting India was behind the scourge and supporting TTP to destroy. India and Pakistan were the hosts, which adds to the smell. China, as an ally of Pakistan, also mediated under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but the effect was limited.
The ceasefire was stopped, but it was only temporary. There are still sporadic gunshots on the border, Taliban missiles have not been withdrawn, and Pakistan's air defense system has not relaxed. What's the future like? It's likely to fight again. The Pakistani military says it will continue to crack down on terrorists and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven. The Taliban warned that any violation would be fought back. Regional instability will spread to Central and South Asia, affecting trade and energy. The common people are the worst, border residents are displaced, and trade is shut down. The United Nations and neighboring countries have to intervene quickly, otherwise the fire will burn bigger and bigger.