On September 7, 2023, clashes erupted near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in

Chitral district Chitral District (; ) was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km2, before spl ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Paki ...

. A group of armed fighters affiliated with the

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...

(TTP) and

al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent () usually abbreviated as AQIS, is a branch of the pan-Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda. After announcing the establishment of AQIS in 3 September 2014, Ayman al-Zawahiri declared that the branch's state ...

(AQIS) attacked five

Pakistani military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the Military, military forces of Pakistan. It is the List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel, world's sixth-largest military measured by Active duty, active military personnel and c ...

checkpoints from Afghan territory. The Pakistani military responded to the attack, resulting in casualties on both sides. Four Pakistani soldiers were killed, and according to reports, twelve of the attackers were also killed.

Background

Geography

Chitral's mountainous terrain presents a significant obstacle to cross-border movement throughout the winter due to heavy snowfall. Harsh weather conditions further exacerbate the difficulty of traversing the region during this season. Conversely, summer brings more accessible routes and milder weather, which coincides with an observed increase in potential cross-border activity.

Recent attacks

Pakistani defense analysts recently reported a worrying increase in militant attacks targeting military installations. This coincides with a broader trend of heightened extremist violence within the country since the Taliban's 2021 takeover of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. These developments have strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban government. The Taliban have denied accusations from Pakistan of harboring militant groups, specifically the

Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...

(TTP). Notably, the TTP views the

Afghan Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) , leader2_title = Gov ...

as an ally. More than 300 similar attacks of varying intensity took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in this year.

Detail

Attack and Aftermath

On September 7, 2023, a clash erupted near two military checkpoints in Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. An estimated 150-300 armed individuals engaged in a firefight with Pakistani forces. The incident involved advanced weaponry and resulted in casualties on both sides. At least four Pakistani soldiers and twelve armed individuals were killed. The outlawed militant group

(TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. A

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

report claims that al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) supplied the TTP with multiple fighters to conduct the operation. Pakistani forces responded to the attack, reportedly inflicting casualties on the armed group. News reports indicate that twelve individuals were killed. Following the incident, Pakistani forces conducted an operation to secure the area. The

claimed the attacks originated in the neighboring Afghan provinces of Kunar and

Nuristan Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Pashto: ; Katë: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, with a ...

. They launched a search operation in response. Pakistan has previously expressed its expectation that the Afghan government would uphold its commitments and prevent the use of Afghan territory for cross-border attacks. The

Torkham border crossing Torkham border crossing (Urdu, Persian, and ''Tūrkham'') is a major border crossing between the Pakistani city of Torkham and Afghanistan, located along the Grand Trunk Road on the international border between the two countries. It connect ...

, a key route for trade and travel between Pakistan and Afghanistan, remained closed for a second day on September 8, 2023, following the attack in the Chitral district. This closure caused delays for trucks transporting goods. Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister,

Jalil Abbas Jilani Jalil Abbas Jilani is a retired Pakistani diplomat who served in Grade 22 as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. He is former Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, he served in office from 17 August 2023 till 4 March 2024. He was born on Februa ...

, referred to the recent attack on military checkpoints in Lower Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as an "isolated incident."

Protests

On September 8, 2023, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) summoned the Afghan Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad to express strong concern regarding the recent attacks in the Chitral district. The FO delivered a demarche, emphasizing to the Afghan interim government that cross-border attacks and the use of Afghan territory by the TTP threatened regional security.

Afghan initiatives

An Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that Afghan forces detained approximately 200 individuals believed to be TTP members following the Chitral attack. These individuals are reportedly being held in custody. The official also stated that Afghan authorities were taking steps to move other TTP members away from the Pakistani border. However, there has been no official confirmation of these actions from the Afghan Taliban government. Pakistan's Interim Foreign Minister,

, described the visit of a Pakistani delegation led by Ambassador Asif Durrani to Afghanistan as productive. He also expressed concern about the recent rise in cross-border attacks. The delegation reportedly received information regarding Afghan efforts related to the militant activity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitral cross-border attacks, 2023 2023 in international relations 2023 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa September 2023 in Pakistan Military operations involving Pakistan Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2023 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attacks Afghanistan–Pakistan relations Durand Line

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...