Afghanistan’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces killed 28 fighters and wounded 32 in Nuristan after an armed group crossed from Pakistan, alleging that Pakistani militias had supported the incursion.
The ministry also accused Pakistani intelligence of recruiting former Afghan military personnel under the pretext of providing assistance, training them and sending them towards Nuristan.
Afghan authorities had initially said on Saturday that border forces killed ten fighters and arrested six while foiling an infiltration attempt across the Durand Line in Kamdesh district. They alleged that members of the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) were operating alongside Islamic State.
The AFF, however, gave a different account, saying the clashes began when Taliban forces attacked its positions on Saturday morning using drones. Its fighters subsequently launched a counterattack and captured several checkpoints, the group claimed.
According to the AFF, Taliban forces withdrew from the Arandu area and parts of Kamdesh towards Nari district in neighbouring Kunar.
Meanwhile, detainees appearing in videos circulated after the fighting said they had been transferred from Iran to Chitral in Pakistan, where they received training at Pakistani military camps.
The casualty figures, territorial claims and detainees’ accounts could not be independently verified.
The clashes came days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan on September 21, claiming to have killed 28 militants. Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed, while the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed the deaths of a man, a woman and a girl.
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