ISLAMABAD (Dispatches) -- 
Pakistan’s military said on Sunday it had responded to cross-border firing from Afghan forces along the northwestern border, targeting several positions on the Afghan side in an exchange that reportedly killed multiple Afghan personnel and destroyed a base camp.
Security sources said the firing, which occurred in the Upper Kurram and Ghuzgarhi sectors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was allegedly carried out to facilitate the attempted entry of foreign terrorists into Pakistani territory. 
Pakistani forces responded with heavy weapons and artillery, targeting the Topsar post and the Shipola base camp, according to state media reports. The base camp was reportedly destroyed, and Afghan personnel subsequently abandoned a border post.
There was no immediate comment from Afghan authorities, and the reported casualties could not be independently verified. 
Afghan security sources, speaking to local media, disputed the Pakistani account and claimed that Pakistani forces had suffered casualties, though those figures were also unconfirmed.
The exchange marks the latest eruption of violence along the roughly 2,600-kilometer Durand Line, a frontier that Afghanistan has never formally recognized. 
Tensions have escalated sharply over the past year, with Islamabad repeatedly accusing Kabul of harboring militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has claimed responsibility for a string of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations and says Pakistan’s security problems are internal matters.
The border has been largely sealed since October 2025, when Pakistan closed key crossings including Torkham and Chaman following earlier clashes. 
The prolonged closure has caused estimated trade losses of up to 400 billion rupees, according to Pakistani traders, and has disrupted livelihoods on both sides of the frontier.
Afghan traders say alternative routes through Iran and Central Asia have raised shipping costs several-fold.
Sunday’s violence comes amid a broader deterioration in bilateral relations. A Pakistani military spokesman said last week that more than 200 Afghan soldiers and 100 militants were killed in retaliatory strikes following bombings in Kabul and Paktika, figures that Afghan officials disputed, claiming only nine soldiers died and accusing Pakistan of killing civilians. 
Diplomatic efforts, including mediation offers from Qatar and Turkey, have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Pakistani security officials said troops remained vigilant and determined to defend the country’s borders. The exchange of fire in the area was reported to be continuing as of Sunday morning.