Taliban security personnel inspect a car destroyed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province in late December. (Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP/Getty Images)
Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published September 6, 2026
Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing renewed security tensions after Pakistani forces reported killing militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan into North Waziristan.
Residents inspect the debris of what locals say are the possible remains of an artillery shell that hit a residential house following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces at a border crossing in Darya Khan Afridi village in Landi Kotal, Pakistan, March 5, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari
Pakistan’s military said 15 militants were killed during a prolonged 36-hour exchange of fire on September 3. The military identified the fighters as members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group that Islamabad accuses of operating from Afghan territory. Pakistan has also accused India of supporting the militants, allegations rejected by both India and Afghanistan.
A boy inspects the debris of what locals say are the possible remains of an artillery shell that hit a residential house following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces at a border crossing in Darya Khan Afridi village in Landi Kotal, Pakistan, March 5, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari
The latest incident comes after months of deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan says the Taliban government has failed to prevent militants from using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan. Kabul has rejected accusations that it allows Afghan territory to be used for attacks against its neighbor.
A boy inspects the debris of what locals say are the possible remains of an artillery shell that hit a residential house following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces at a border crossing in Darya Khan Afridi village in Landi Kotal, Pakistan, March 5, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari
Pakistan’s military has continued conducting operations against militants inside Pakistan. On September 4, Pakistani authorities said security forces killed 48 militants in multiple operations in Balochistan, including fighters identified as belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army and TTP.
A displaced Afghan family who fled following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces at a border crossing arranges their belongings in a makeshift camp as they take refuge in Lal Pur district in eastern Nangarhar province
The confrontation follows a much larger escalation earlier this year, when Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire along multiple points of their border. Reuters reported in March that the fighting displaced more than 100,000 people and represented one of the most serious military confrontations between the two countries in years.
🧩 Bottom Line:
The Pakistan-Afghanistan dispute is becoming one of the most serious security challenges in South Asia. The latest militant-crossing incident shows that the underlying problem has not been resolved. Unless Islamabad and Kabul can establish a verifiable mechanism to prevent cross-border militant activity, the risk of renewed military escalation will remain high.
SOURCES: AP NEWS – Pakistan security forces kill 15 militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan
REUTERS – Pakistani, Afghan border forces clash as UN says war displaces 100,000
ARAB NEWS – Pakistan open to Afghan bilateral security mechanism, demands ‘verifiable’ action against militants
THE KHAAMA PRESS – Pakistan Army Says 21 Militants Killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
