Afghanistan says 28 dead fighters came from Pakistan as Islamabad denies ties

Afghanistan's defence ministry reported on Sunday that its forces had killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in Nuristan province, after an armed group it claimed included Islamic State militants crossed the border from Pakistan. The ministry accused Pakistani militias of supporting the fighters, asserting that most of them were former Afghan government security personnel.

Pakistan's information ministry dismissed the allegations as "frivolous, baseless, and devoid of any truth" on social media, denying any involvement of its security forces, intelligence agencies, or recruitment of former Afghan security personnel. The claim that Pakistani intelligence trained and sent former Afghan security personnel across the border represents a direct accusation of state involvement in an armed incursion.

This allegation surfaced just a week after Pakistan conducted air strikes within Afghanistan, citing the targeting of militants. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify the ministry's account or the reported casualty figures. Pakistan has a history of accusing Afghanistan of harboring fighters who launch attacks on its territory, a claim Afghanistan denies.

According to the defence ministry, the group entered Kamdesh district in Nuristan near the Pakistani border on Saturday with the intention of launching attacks. Afghan forces subsequently launched an operation, during which the surviving fighters fled back across the border towards areas controlled by Pakistani militias. The ministry alleged that Pakistani armed personnel and militia members coordinated with the fighters before withdrawing upon the commencement of hostilities.

Additionally, the ministry accused Pakistani intelligence of procuring former Afghan security personnel under the guise of offering assistance, training them, and dispatching them towards Nuristan. Pakistan's information ministry refuted Afghanistan's evidence, disputing a video circulating on social media that purportedly supported their claims, describing it as staged.

The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. This incident follows Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan on September 21, which Pakistan claimed resulted in the deaths of 28 militants. Afghan officials reported civilian casualties, and the United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed the deaths of three civilians.