‘Fake and fabricated’: Islamabad rejects Kabul’s claim of destroying Pakistani post near Spin Boldak | The Express Tribune

The Ministry of Information on Friday rejected Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence’s claim that a Pakistani outpost near Spin Boldak in Kandahar had been destroyed, describing the assertion as “fake and fabricated”.

In a statement posted on X, the Afghan Ministry of Defence said that a day earlier, a Pakistani outpost near Spin Boldak had been “punished and destroyed” after it opened fire towards Afghanistan.

“The Afghan forces suffered no casualties or losses in the clash,” it said, adding that the “propaganda” circulated by the Pakistani side regarding the incident was false.

Read: Security forces foil Afghan Taliban incursion, kill several terrorists at Balochistan border: state media

Rejecting the Afghan account, the Ministry of Information’s fact-checking account said the Afghan Ministry of Defence had “as usual” falsely claimed that a Pakistani post near Spin Boldak was destroyed and that Afghan forces suffered no casualties, while dismissing Pakistan’s account as propaganda.

“The claim is fake and fabricated,” it said, adding that security forces had thwarted an attempted “Afghan aggression” in the Gulistan sector on the night of Sept 24-25.

It said that during the operation and the subsequent “heavy punishment” inflicted on opposing Taliban posts, at least 13 Afghan Taliban personnel were killed and several others injured.

“Some visuals of the incident are also attached, which have already been widely covered by media and circulated extensively across social media,” the statement said.

It said the visuals provided evidence of the border engagement and the “punishment inflicted on the Afghan Taliban after their cowardly attack”.

The ministry added that the Afghan Ministry of Defence’s “fabricated” claim was “no surprise”, alleging that the Taliban were “habitual liars” with “no moral and reputational standing”.

The recent tension started between the neighbouring countries after a blast at a mosque in Kohat’s Police Lines during Friday prayers, in which 23 people, including 15 police personnel, were martyred. Eight terrorists were also killed during a subsequent search and clearance operation. Later, Ittihadul Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), led by Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur, claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing and rampage involving multiple attackers.

A day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan carried out “precision” aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan after drones launched from Afghan territory entered Pakistani airspace, describing the strikes as a response to a “deliberate and unlawful incursion”.

The strikes were in response to drone attacks from Afghanistan. A day earlier, Pakistan’s air defence systems had shot down eight drones after they entered the country’s airspace from Afghanistan. Security sources said four of the drones were brought down in areas adjoining the Torkham border, while another four were shot down in mountainous areas near the border with Kohat.

Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns on international forums over terrorist attacks being launched from Afghan soil.

On September 23, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for “concrete and verifiable” action to prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorism against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan, while addressing the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

In a separate warning following the terrorist attack in Kohat, Pakistan said it had the “will and capability” to eliminate terror threats “wherever they are” and urged the international community to press the Afghan Taliban regime to take decisive action against terrorism.

Attributing the attack to “the vilest of Khwarij with roots in Afghanistan,” the Information Ministry noted that the attack was a reminder that “terrorism has no religion and no justification”. It added that Islamabad had repeatedly raised “grave concerns” over the alleged use of Afghan territory by the banned TTP and other terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks inside the country.

“The presence of terrorist sanctuaries, alongside their recruitment and support infrastructure in Afghanistan, poses a direct threat to Pakistan’s security,” the ministry had said. It added that these concerns had repeatedly been conveyed to the Afghan Taliban regime and its interlocutors. “They must dismantle these networks rather than deflect responsibility,” Pakistan said.

United Nations Security Council report formally implicated the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and terrorist entities operating from Afghanistan, highlighting tactical collaboration and shared operational logistics between the groups.

Member-state reporting confirmed that BLA terrorists were trained alongside TTP members at facilities in Afghanistan, according to the report, which also described growing operational links among various terrorist groups operating across the border.

This was not the first time a UN report pointed to the threat posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the TTP had established a new base in K-P in mid-2023, shedding light on close ties between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, as well as between the TTP and anti-Pakistani groups and Al Qaeda.